DNA Study Sheds New Light On The Mysterious 9,000-Year-Old Shaman Burial In Bad Dürrenberg (Central Germany)

Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com - The 9,000-year-old shaman burial in Bad Dürrenberg, Germany, is one of Central Europe's most spectacular discoveries.

Discovered in 1934 during construction works, the double burial of an adult woman and an infant has long fascinated scientists and the public. Who was this woman, and what was her relation to the child?

When examining the ancient grave goods, scientists could determine the woman buried in a seated position in Bad Dürrenberg was a shaman.

Genetic research now reveals the relationship between the woman and the child: the boy is not her son but a fourth- or fifth-degree relation. The phenotypic variants analyzed in the woman's genome inform us that she had a relatively dark skin complexion, dark straight hair, and blue eyes.

Here's an earlier report about the same individual.