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DNA study reveals Ireland's age of 'god-kings'
By Paul Rincon
Science editor, BBC News website
1 hour ago
KEN WILLIAMS
Newgrange in County Meath is older than both the Pyramids of Giza and Stonehenge
DNA has been used to confirm the existence of an elite social class in the Stone Age inhabitants of Ireland.
It's one of the earliest examples of such a hierarchy among human societies.
A key piece of evidence comes from an adult male buried at the 5,000-year-old Newgrange monument; his DNA revealed that his parents were first-degree relatives, possibly brother and sister.
He was one member of an extended "clan" that was buried at impressive stone monuments across Ireland.
The Irish elites were established during Neolithic times, when people first started farming. The researchers extracted DNA from 44 ancient individuals from across Ireland and sequenced their genomes (the full complement of genetic material contained in the nuclei of cells).
More:
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53059527
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