Up until now, the earliest individuals from ancient Egypt to have undergone even a partial DNA analysis were three individuals who lived between 787 and 544 b.c. A research team led by geneticist Adeline Morez Jacobs from Liverpool John Moores University has advanced that timeline by thousands of years by sequencing the complete genome of a man who existed as far back as 2855 b.c., during the nascent period of the Egyptian dynasties. Morez’s team examined the man’s remains, which were uncovered in 1902 encased in a large pottery vessel inside a rock-cut tomb at the archaeological site of Nuwayrat, located 170 miles south of Cairo.
The tombs at the site housed numerous human remains, several of which were transported to England. However, it was solely from this individual, referred to as the Nuwayrat individual, that researchers could extract enough genetic material from the roots of two teeth to sequence a complete genome. Recovering ancient Egyptian DNA has proven exceedingly challenging due to the area’s intense heat, which deteriorates genetic material. “In the case of the Nuwayrat individual, the burial vessel might have protected his remains and preserved his DNA,” explains Morez. “We were exceedingly fortunate to locate the golden individual who had a sufficient amount of DNA in good enough condition.” While various studies have indicated that Egyptian populations had minimal to no genetic contributions from external groups, the findings of the team reveal that 20 percent of the individual’s genome is traced back to the Fertile Crescent, encompassing Mesopotamia.
The remaining 80 percent of his lineage originates from North Africans. Until 1941, Liverpool’s World Museum, which housed some remains sourced from Nuwayrat, contained one of the largest collections of Egyptian artifacts outside of Egypt. On May 3, 1941, the Luftwaffe heavily bombarded the city, and the museum suffered a fire. Much of its collection was lost, including certain remains belonging to individuals originally interred at Nuwayrat. Fortunately, the Nuwayrat individual was not among the losses, as he was securely housed at the University of Liverpool at that time. “He’s a blitzkrieg survivor,” remarks Morez. “For that, too, we’re extremely fortunate.”
~Bhautik Thummar.
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