Archaeologists have investigated genetic relationships between individuals buried in Neolithic chambered tombs in northern Scotland, suggesting monumental tombs may have been physical embodiments of prehistoric kinship, tracing lineages over centuries.
The first Neolithic people in north-west Europe often constructed chambered tombs to inter their remains. Sometimes, these individuals were biologically related to each other, but surviving remains are often fragmented, making connections between tombs and kinship unclear.
“Kinship is a social phenomenon, a measure of social relatedness and belonging which – among many other things - reflects on the biological relatedness of individuals within a community”, says co-author of the research, Professor Chris Fowler from Newcastle University. “How often were tombs used to contain the remains of close genetic relatives? How often were individuals selected for inclusion because they were related along the male line?”
To investigate how funerary architecture displayed and supported kinship connections in Neolithic Europe, researchers analysed ancient DNA from individuals buried in chambered tombs in Caithness and the Orkney Islands, dating from c. 3800–3200 cal. BC.
They found that many biologically male individuals buried in the same or nearby tombs were close genetic relatives, related to each other through the paternal line.
“These results are consistent with the interpretation that patrilineal descent was traced in this region,” states lead author Professor Vicki Cummings from Cardiff University. “For the people introducing the Neolithic into Britain, this social connection may have been as important as pots, cows and axes.”
Furthermore, by comparing the results with the structure and layouts of the tombs, the researchers show how funerary practices visually expressed kinship in their landscapes.
By clustering tombs and interring close relatives near to each other, Neolithic communities built ‘webs of descent’, creating monumental representations of kinship.
Whilst specific practices varied between Caithness and Orkney, in both areas shared architecture was constructed for small kin groups and, in the case of two females buried in Orkney, there were even genetic connections across the sea between the mainland and islands.
Therefore, the construction and use of these tombs was likely a means to trace lines of descent and project them into the future, indicating mortuary practices were a key means through which northern Scottish communities expressed group identities.
“It is incredible to think that, over 5000 years after these people were deposited in these tombs, we are able to reconstruct how they were related to each other through the analysis of ancient DNA”, Professor Cummings concludes. “This study shows that the people building these monuments placed a particular emphasis on the male line, and that this was shared across a wide geographic area.”