Newfound Family Ties Link Scythian Elite Burials Across the Eurasian Steppe

New genomic study uncovers new findings on ‘Golden Man,’ family ties across Scythian elite graves

Elite horse-riding nomads may have passed on political power through family lineages, rather than winning it through achievements, based on ancient DNA from elaborately decorated burial sites during the Iron Age, according to a new study.

Newfound family ties link Scythian elite burials across the Eurasian steppe

A new ancient DNA study published in Science Advances provides evidence that political power among Scythian elites may have been inherited through family lineages that extended across multiple burial sites. By combining archaeology, anthropology and genetics, the new study offers fresh insight into how social inequality and political authority developed among ancient nomadic societies.

Elite families ruled nomadic Scythian society 2,500 years ago, DNA analysis reveals

The enigmatic Scythians, a diverse group of nomadic tribes known for their ferocity in battle, were organized around elite dynasties of powerful men and women over 2,500 years ago, a new DNA study finds. The results reveal that social inequality arose in these nomadic groups around 900 B.C., during the Iron Age.Most of what archaeologists know about the Scythians comes from ancient Greek and Roman accounts of the accomplished equestrians and fro…

New genomic study uncovers family ties linking Scythian elite burials across the Eurasian steppe

Ancient DNA reveals how political power and elite status may have been maintained among Iron Age nomadic societies.