In a groundbreaking first, scientists have decoded the entire genome of a 4,500-year-old Egyptian man whose remarkably preserved skeleton was discovered inside a pottery vessel near modern-day Cairo in 1902. Believed to have lived during Egypt’s Old Kingdom, also known as the Age of Pyramids, his DNA revealed North African roots with a 20% mix from the Fertile Crescent, which spans modern-day Iraq, Syria, and southeastern Turkey. This has led scientists to conclude that there was ancient trade between North Africa and the Fertile Crescent. Meanwhile, bone wear and tear suggest the man was likely a potter or craftsman. However, given his elite tomb burial, he was possibly held in high regard. The study, published in Nature, offers fresh insight into ancient Egyptian ancestry and their potential interactions with the other great civilization of the time.
The Guardian
