Family & Life

‘Unity in Death Suggests a Unity in Life’—Oldest Evidence of Nuclear Family in... : 20th Nov 08

A set of ancient skeletons discovered in Germany has demonstrated that Stone Age humans formed nuclear families. Genetic analysis of four bodies found in a 4,600-year-old grave shows that they belonged to a mother, a father and their two sons, who were buried together in one another's arms.

An international team of researchers discovered the burial site containing a number of closely related adults and children that is more than 4,600 years old - making it the oldest example of a "family" ever found. The graves contained groups of men, women and children buried facing each other, which was an unusual practice in Neolithic culture.

One of the graves contained a female, a male and two children, which the researchers, using DNA analysis, established were a mother, father and their two sons aged around eight or nine and four or five years old. They say this is the oldest evidence of a nuclear family in the world.

The skeletons, discovered and excavated at Eulau, in central Germany, were also unusual for the way in which they were buried. The remains of 13 individuals were found in total and all had been buried simultaneously. Several pairs of individuals were buried face-to-face with arms and hands interlinked and all the burials contained children ranging from new-borns up to 10 years of age and adults of around 30 years or older.

The researchers used state-of-the-art genetics and isotope techniques to determine the relationships of the dead. In an article published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Lead author Dr Wolfgang Haak of the University of Adelaide said the scientific evidence supports the idea that they were indeed a family. "We're really sure, based on hard biological facts not just supposing or assuming."

"By establishing the genetic links between the two adults and two children buried together in one grave, we have established the presence of the classic nuclear family in a prehistoric context in Central Europe - to our knowledge the oldest authentic molecular genetic evidence so far." “Their unity in death suggests a unity in life.” Independent. Telegraph.

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Family & Life

‘Unity in Death Suggests a Unity in Life’—Oldest Evidence of Nuclear Family in... : 20th Nov 08

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