ArticleBody:New genetic analysis of two princes’ within a pair of Germany’s most well-preserved Celtic burial mounds confirms a long-suspected familial relationship—one that may shake up our understanding of gender relationships within Iron Age societies. Based on DNA reconstruction efforts, it appears at least some Celtic clans revolved around matrilineal instead of patrilineal dynasties. Unlike the Roman and Early Medieval eras, written sources from ancient German societies are extremely rare.
As detailed in a new study published Monday in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, archeologists used teeth and inner ear bone samples from 31 individuals across the mounds to sequence the remaining DNA and reconstruct their genomes. Of the many remains, two in particular caught the team’s attention. Bronze cauldron with lion decorations with a capacity of about 500 liters. Credit: Landesmuseum Württemberg, P. Frankenstein/H. Zwietasch Reconstruction of the Hochdorf burial mound.