Now archaeologists have revealed an even bigger groundbreaking discovery. They scoured the remains of an adult male placed in a ceramic jar, uncovering never-before-seen details about daily life in ancient Egypt. In 1902, archaeologists found this skeleton in a sealed earthenware jar inside a rock-cut tomb in Nuwayrat, roughly 265 km (165 miles) south of Cairo. It represents the first of its kind—an ancient Egyptian specimen to have its whole genome sequenced. Those results revealed intriguing insights into the man’s life—including where he was born. These findings harken all the way back to the earliest days of the Age of the Pyramids.
The skeleton turned out to be that of a middle-aged man, maybe in his 60s. This is very advanced age for his era. Perhaps most strikingly, the analysis found that he suffered from arthritis, an indication of someone who lived a life of manual toil. The bone decorations are so numerous that it is inferred he probably made his living as a potter. He might have labored for hours at a time conducting basket-making and other seated work that involved sitting on hard surfaces with legs outstretched and head bent.
Researchers pointed out how weirdly these people were buried. These methods were instrumental in keeping the DNA intact for more than four thousand years. It’s strange that the skeleton was found inside a pottery vessel and not in a typical burial or grave site.
“It’s interesting that the man was found in a pot. That in itself is odd. He was put in a relatively high-class tomb and not any old person ends up in a rock-cut tomb. Maybe he was a super-good potter and ended up in someone’s favour.” – Joel Irish
The DNA that they were able to extract from one of the man’s teeth revealed an utterly compelling story. It confirmed that he was dark skinned with brown eyes and hair. Genetic data showed they had a fascinating backstory. He’s a pretty typical Sicilian with North African Neolithic ancestry, with a large 20% genetic contribution from the Fertile Crescent region of the Middle East. This, along with our previous genomic work, is giving us better context to understand how different populations interacted and migrated during that time period.
The adoption of the potter’s wheel in Egypt around 2500 BC makes this story even more fascinating. This was a heavy piece of technology, frequently balancing itself on one foot while in motion. It transformed the speed and efficiency to produce pottery which probably increased the man’s livelihood and social standing.
Pontus Skoglund, specialist in analysing ancient DNA, said he was excited about the potential widespread implications of this find.
“It’s exciting that we can get genomes from this place and time.” – Pontus Skoglund
The research team expects that this first success will clear the way for more studies on other ancient individuals. Skoglund noted the potential for building a comprehensive genetic record of ancient Egypt, which could enhance understanding of the civilization’s development and diversity.
“There will be more individuals that we can get DNA from and we can use that to build an ancient, public genetic record of ancient Egypt.” – Pontus Skoglund