Whole-genome ancestry of an Old Kingdom Egyptian

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Morez Jacobs, Adeline; Irish, Joel D.; Cooke, Ashley; Anastasiadou, Kyriaki; Barrington, Christopher; Gilardet, Alexandre; Kelly, Monica; Silva, Marina; Speidel, Leo; Tait, Frankie; Williams, Mia; Brucato, Nicolas; Ricaut, Francois-Xavier; Wilkinson, Caroline; Madgwick, Richard; Holt, Emily; Nederbragt, Alexandra J.; Inglis, Edward; Hajdinjak, Mateja; Skoglund, Pontus; Girdland-Flink, Linus
• 署名单位: Liverpool John Moores University; Francis Crick Institute; Francis Crick Institute; Swedish Museum of Natural History; University of London; University College London; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); Universite de Toulouse; Universite Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier; Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD); Universite Federale Toulouse Midi-Pyrenees (ComUE); Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse; Liverpool John Moores University; Cardiff University; Cardiff University; University of Aberdeen; University of Padua; RIKEN; University of Reading
• 刊物名称: Nature
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0028-1963
• DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09195-5
• 发表日期: 2025-08-21
• 关键词: skin color prediction; ancient human genomes; genetic history; population-structure; collagen extraction; isotope analysis; age estimation; phase-analysis; skeletal age; near-east

摘要

Ancient Egyptian society flourished for millennia, reaching its peak during the Dynastic Period (approximately 3150-30 bce). However, owing to poor DNA preservation, questions about regional interconnectivity over time have not been addressed because whole-genome sequencing has not yet been possible. Here we sequenced a 2x coverage whole genome from an adult male Egyptian excavated at Nuwayrat (Nuerat, (sic)). Radiocarbon dated to 2855-2570 cal. bce, he lived a few centuries after Egyptian unification, bridging the Early Dynastic and Old Kingdom periods. The body was interred in a ceramic pot within a rock-cut tomb1, potentially contributing to the DNA preservation. Most of his genome is best represented by North African Neolithic ancestry, among available sources at present. Yet approximately 20% of his genetic ancestry can be traced to genomes representing the eastern Fertile Crescent, including Mesopotamia and surrounding regions. This genetic affinity is similar to the ancestry appearing in Anatolia and the Levant during the Neolithic and Bronze Age2, 3, 4-5. Although more genomes are needed to fully understand the genomic diversity of early Egyptians, our results indicate that contacts between Egypt and the eastern Fertile Crescent were not limited to objects and imagery (such as domesticated animals and plants, as well as writing systems)6, 7, 8-9 but also encompassed human migration.