ScienceScienceDailyThese medieval graves looked like family burials. DNA told a different story
Ancient DNA from medieval Swedish graves shows that adults and children buried together were usually not close biological relatives, upending long-held assumptions about family burials.
Ancient DNA shows that adults and children buried together in medieval Sweden were often not members of the same immediate family, suggesting that burial choices reflected more than biological kinship. The research also revealed early gender-based burial customs and uncovered the remarkable story of a young woman who may have completed a pilgrimage across Europe.
Researchers analysed DNA from 142 people buried in late Viking Age and medieval Sweden and found shared graves rarely contained close biological family members.
The study, led by Stockholm University, covered sites near Stockholm, Jämtland and Skåne, and included more than 60 children and adolescents.
The researchers say burial decisions were likely shaped by social, religious or community ties rather than blood relationships, and that children were buried by the same gender customs as adults.
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