Ancient DNA, Strontium isotopes, and osteological analyses shed light on social and kinship organization of the Later Stone Age

TLDR

Four 4,600‑year‑old multiple burials near Eulau, Germany, containing adults and children facing each other, suggest a violent event that killed family groups. The study combined archaeological, anthropological, radiogenic isotope geochemistry, and ancient DNA analyses to investigate the burials. Genetic analysis revealed kinship ties, including a direct child‑parent pair—the earliest molecular evidence of a nuclear family—while strontium isotopes indicated males and children originated elsewhere than females, suggesting an exogamous, patrilocal Late Stone Age society where kinship was central.

Abstract

In 2005 four outstanding multiple burials were discovered near Eulau, Germany. The 4,600-year-old graves contained groups of adults and children buried facing each other. Skeletal and artifactual evidence and the simultaneous interment of the individuals suggest the supposed families fell victim to a violent event. In a multidisciplinary approach, archaeological, anthropological, geochemical (radiogenic isotopes), and molecular genetic (ancient DNA) methods were applied to these unique burials. Using autosomal, mitochondrial, and Y-chromosomal markers, we identified genetic kinship among the individuals. A direct child-parent relationship was detected in one burial, providing the oldest molecular genetic evidence of a nuclear family. Strontium isotope analyses point to different origins for males and children versus females. By this approach, we gain insight into a Late Stone Age society, which appears to have been exogamous and patrilocal, and in which genetic kinship seems to be a focal point of social organization.