Morez Jacobs Adeline, Irish Joel D, Cooke Ashley, Anastasiadou Kyriaki, Barrington Christopher, Gilardet Alexandre, Kelly Monica, Silva Marina, Speidel Leo, Tait Frankie, Williams Mia, Brucato Nicolas, Ricaut Francois-Xavier, Wilkinson Caroline, Madgwick Richard, Holt Emily, Nederbragt Alexandra J, Inglis Edward, Hajdinjak Mateja, Skoglund Pontus, Girdland-Flink Linus
School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.
Ancient Genomics Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK.
Nature. 2025 Jul 2. doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09195-5.
Ancient Egyptian society flourished for millennia, reaching its peak during the Dynastic Period (approximately 3150-30 BCE). However, owing to poor DNA preservation, questions about regional interconnectivity over time have not been addressed because whole-genome sequencing has not yet been possible. Here we sequenced a 2× coverage whole genome from an adult male Egyptian excavated at Nuwayrat (Nuerat, نويرات). Radiocarbon dated to 2855-2570 cal. BCE, he lived a few centuries after Egyptian unification, bridging the Early Dynastic and Old Kingdom periods. The body was interred in a ceramic pot within a rock-cut tomb, potentially contributing to the DNA preservation. Most of his genome is best represented by North African Neolithic ancestry, among available sources at present. Yet approximately 20% of his genetic ancestry can be traced to genomes representing the eastern Fertile Crescent, including Mesopotamia and surrounding regions. This genetic affinity is similar to the ancestry appearing in Anatolia and the Levant during the Neolithic and Bronze Age. Although more genomes are needed to fully understand the genomic diversity of early Egyptians, our results indicate that contacts between Egypt and the eastern Fertile Crescent were not limited to objects and imagery (such as domesticated animals and plants, as well as writing systems) but also encompassed human migration.
古埃及社会繁荣了数千年，在王朝时期（约公元前3150年至公元前30年）达到顶峰。然而，由于DNA保存不佳，关于不同时期区域间相互联系的问题一直未得到解决，因为全基因组测序尚未实现。在此，我们对在努韦拉特（Nuerat，نويرات）发掘出的一名成年男性埃及人的基因组进行了2倍覆盖率的全基因组测序。其放射性碳年代测定为公元前2855年至公元前2570年，他生活在埃及统一后的几个世纪，跨越了早王朝时期和古王国时期。遗体被安放在一个岩石墓穴中的陶罐里，这可能有助于DNA的保存。就目前可获取的资源而言，他的基因组大部分以北非新石器时代血统最为典型。然而，他约20%的遗传血统可追溯至代表肥沃新月地带东部（包括美索不达米亚及周边地区）的基因组。这种遗传亲缘关系类似于新石器时代和青铜时代出现在安纳托利亚和黎凡特地区的血统。尽管需要更多的基因组来全面了解早期埃及人的基因组多样性，但我们结果表明，埃及与肥沃新月地带东部之间的联系不仅限于物品和意象（如驯化的动植物以及书写系统），还包括人口迁移。
