Ancient DNA rewrites the story of a historical Sámi burial

DNA From Centuries-Old Sámi Burial in Finland Reveals Surprising Link to Iceland

A Sámi man depicted in art. Credit: François-Auguste Biard / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain Scientists have unlocked the ancient DNA from a Sámi man’s burial found in northern Finland, revealing a life that may have stretched as far as Iceland. The study, published in BMC Genomics, offers the most detailed look yet at an indigenous individual from a region whose history has long been overshadowed by Finnish settlement. The skeleton was uneart…

Ancient DNA rewrites the story of a historical Sámi burial

A new study by the University of Turku and partners provides fresh insights into an individual buried near Lake Kitka in Kuusamo, Finland, at the turn of the 17th century. DNA and isotope analyses show that the individual, whose grave has been linked to Sámi cultural heritage, had a genetic connection to present-day Sámi populations and spent part of his life outside Finland.

Ancient DNA links 400-year-old Finland burial to Sámi ancestry and possible Iceland journey | Archaeology News Online Magazine

A man buried near Lake Kitka in northern Finland around 400 years ago appears to have lived a far more mobile life than researchers once thought. A new study based on ancient DNA and isotope analysis found close genetic ties between the man and Sámi populations. The findings also point to years spent outside Finland, […]