Finding On a 3rd Millenium BC Mass Grave

The website of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences posted a paper regarding the analysis of human remains found in a mass grave dating to the third millenium BCE, located in current day Poland. The posting begins:

“We sequenced the genomes of 15 skeletons from a 5,000-y-old mass grave in Poland associated with the Globular Amphora culture. All individuals had been brutally killed by blows to the head, but buried with great care. Genome-wide analyses demonstrate that this was a large extended family and that the people who buried them knew them well: mothers are buried with their children, and siblings next to each other. From a population genetic viewpoint, the individuals are clearly distinct from neighboring Corded Ware groups because of their lack of steppe-related ancestry. Although the reason for the massacre is unknown, it is possible that it was connected with the expansion of Corded Ware groups, which may have resulted in violent conflict.”

https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/05/10/1820210116.

Frater Lux Ad Mundi

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