DNA

Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com –  Analysis of the centuries-old remains of two Medici brothers has resolved a long-standing Renaissance mystery. In 1562, Cardinal Giovanni de Medici, a member of the influential family that led politics and banking in Tuscany during the Renaissance, died of malaria. Twenty-five years later, his older brother, Grand Duke Francesco de

Conny Waters – AncientPages.com – A recent ancient DNA study suggests that Scythian elites may have passed down political power through family lines spanning several burial sites. By bringing together archaeology, anthropology, and genetics, this research sheds new light on how social inequality and political authority took shape in ancient nomadic societies. Credit:  Rinat Zhumatayev, Zainolla Samashev,

Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – The Piasts were a royal dynasty that influenced the political landscape of 10th-century medieval Europe. Although they founded and ruled early Poland, little is known about their origins, Poland’s transition to monarchy, or the broader processes of political formation in 10th-century East-Central Europe. Background: Lake Lednica. PAP/Archiwum Kalbar – Image

Jan Bartek –  AncientPages.com – An international research team led by the University of Copenhagen has made a remarkable discovery that deepens our understanding of Europe’s distant past. By studying one of France’s largest Stone Age burial sites, they uncovered evidence of a major population collapse followed by new arrivals from southern Europe. This important finding