Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Oldest-Known Nuclear Family Unearthed

Murdered Stone Age family found buried in group hug

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 18, 2008 4:57 AM CST

(Newser) – The oldest nuclear family ever discovered has been found in a group hug in a Stone Age burial site, the Independent reports. Genetic testing revealed that the four skeletons buried in each other's arms at the site in Germany were a father, mother, and their two young sons. All had died violently and were buried at the same time.

The grave is the oldest evidence scientists have found of families living in a unit familiar to us today, said the researchers, whose discovery is detailed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The arrangement of the bodies, different from earlier Neolithic finds, suggests that family members were killed in a raid by a rival tribe and buried by survivors who knew the family connection, researchers explained. "Their unity in death suggests a unity in life."

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

The remains of the family of four held evidence, including injuries to the hands and forearms, that indicate they died violently at the same time. (Shutter Stock)

The earliest evidence ever discovered of people living as a nuclear family has been found at at Stone Age burial site in Germany. (Shutter Stock)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

By establishing genetic links between the adults and children buried together, we have established the presence of the classic nuclear family in a prehistoric context in central Europe. Their unity in death suggests a unity in life. - Researcher Wolfgang Haak

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Civilization Rose, Thanks to ... Beer?

Stone Age farmers may have liked grains for beer, not food

(NEWSER) - We may have beer to thank for, well, all of civilization. For years, archaeologists have suspected that when Stone Age people domesticated cereals—which eventually led to farming and settling—they were actually turning the grains into beer more often than food. One researcher tells LiveScience the evidence is getting stronger. It took hours of hard work to make grains edible, yet sites in Syria suggest that Stone Age people went as much as 40-60 miles out of their way to obtain grains. More»

Stonehenge: Ancient Tourist Hot Spot

Skeleton found there traced to Mediterranean

(NEWSER) - Religious site? Healing temple? Whatever Stonehenge was used for, it was quite the tourist hot spot. Isotopic tests performed on a recently discovered skeleton—dubbed "The Boy with the Amber Necklace" because of the beads tied round his neck—found that he traveled from the north coast of the Mediterranean to get there. And scientists say his hundreds-of-miles journey gives credence to the belief that Stonehenge was a top tourist attraction in prehistoric times. More»

Stonehenge Rocked as 'Neolithic Lourdes'

New research into 2300 BC stone circle indicates it was place of healing

(NEWSER) - Two archeologists have discovered evidence indicating that Stonehenge was a kind of "Neolithic Lourdes" pilgrimage destination where people came to be healed, the BBC reports. The researchers also used radiocarbon methods to date the mysterious stone circle in southern England to 2300 BC. Mineral analysis indicates the giant bluestone rocks were transported from a site 150 miles away. More»

'Hobbits' Were, Indeed, a Different Kind of Human

Wrist-bone analysis shows link to apes

(NEWSER) - A new study of three wrist bones from an 18,000-year-old fossil shows that the so-called hobbits of Indonesia were, indeed, a separate human species. When the bones were discovered in 2003, scientists trumpeted the find as evidence of a smaller species, Homo floresiensis. But skeptics argued that the hobbit, at 3 feet tall with a brain the size of a grapefruit, was in fact a human afflicted by microcephaly, a brain-shrinking disorder. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Oldest-Known Nuclear Family Unearthed