Scientists have sequenced the DNA of an ancient Egyptian who lived 4,800 years ago

Scientists have extracted and sequenced the oldest Egyptian DNA yet that belongs to a man who lived around 4,500 to 4,800 years ago. The study was published in the journal Nature by researchers from the Francis Crick Institute and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). It is also the first whole genome (the entire set of DNA in an individual) from ancient Egypt. The period the man belongs to is when the first pyramids appeared. The breakthrough comes 40 years after Nobel Prize winner Svante Pääbo for the first time attempted to extract ancient DNA from individuals from ancient Egypt. The study found that the ancient individual's genetic ancestry goes back to populations in both North Africa and West Asia. This shows that there was genetic diversity among early Egyptians. Till now, researchers believed that exchanges happened in only writing systems or pottery. But genetic evidence has been far to obtain since warm temperatures prevent DNA preservation.

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A complete ancient Egyptian genome put together

Four decades ago, poor DNA preservation prevented the extraction and sequencing of DNA, and researchers could only partially reconstruct the genomes of just three ancient Egyptians. However, technological advancements have allowed them to piece together a complete ancient Egyptian genome. DNA extracted from a tooth of an individual buried in Nuwayrat, a village 265km south of Cairo, was sequenced in the study. The Egyptian Antiquities Service had donated the remains while under British rule to the excavation committee set up by John Garstang.

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“Piecing together all the clues from this individual’s DNA, bones, and teeth has allowed us to build a comprehensive picture. We hope that future DNA samples from ancient Egypt can expand on when precisely this movement from West Asia started,” study co-author Adeline Morez Jacobs, visiting research fellow and former PhD student at Liverpool John Moores University, said in a statement. Also Read: A sunken 'pyramid' near Japan could rewrite ancient history — or not

Mummification had not started in Egypt at this time

The individual was buried sometime between two periods in Egyptian history - the Early Dynastic and Old Kingdom periods. The burial happened in a ceramic pot in a tomb cut into the hillside. During this time, artificial mummification had not started. The DNA analysis showed that most of his ancestry was from North Africa, while 20 per cent could be traced to people who lived in Mesopotamia, around modern-day Iraq. Examination of the chemical signals in his teeth provided clues about his diet and environment, and showed that he likely grew up in Egypt.

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The skeleton was excavated in 1902 and remained at the World Museum Liverpool. The individual's skeleton was analysed to estimate his sex, age, height, and information on ancestry and lifestyle. His physical features suggest that he was likely a potter or in a trade that required a lot of movement. His bones showed muscle markings from sitting with outstretched limbs for long periods of time.

“This individual has been on an extraordinary journey. He lived and died during a critical period of change in ancient Egypt, and his skeleton was excavated in 1902 and donated to the World Museum Liverpool, where it then survived bombings during the Blitz that destroyed most of the human remains in their collection. We’ve now been able to tell part of the individual’s story,” said co-author Linus Girdland Flink.