The disturbing revelation in southern Italy saw a number of skeletons discovered in a burial ground, with scientists calling it an ‘exceptionally rare and remarkable finding’
A groundbreaking archaeological dig has revealed the oldest-ever evidence of father-daughter incest that has shocked the world of science.
In a Bronze Age cemetery in southern Italy, a team of boffins found startling genetic clues in the remains of a teenage boy. The site, the eerie Grotta della Monaca in Calabria – the ‘toe’ of Italy – was used as a burial ground centuries ago, between 1780 and 1380BC.
Archaeologists analysed DNA from 23 buried bodies, expecting nothing more than typical ancient genetics. But what they discovered was chilling: clear signs of close family inbreeding, including the first-ever proof of father-daughter incest from thousands of years ago.
In a study published last month in the journal Communications Biology, a total of 10 women and eight men were discovered. This is where things took a dark turn…
The ancient group was a real genetic melting pot, with DNA clues showing people from different backgrounds buried together. But hidden among them was a chilling family secret.
Researchers found evidence of close relatives laid to rest side by side, including a mother and her daughter, which wasn’t unusual there. However, another burial, comprising an adult man and a young boy, was found to be closely linked – and not just as father and son.
By analysing stretches of identical DNA passed down through generations, scientists spotted something disturbing, reported Live Science. While most people in the cave showed signs of distant inbreeding common in small prehistoric communities, the young boy’s DNA set off red flags.
His genetic profile showed the highest levels of inbreeding ever seen in ancient remains. Experts say the evidence is “indisputable” that the boy was the result of a first-degree incest relationship.
Essentially, his father had conceived him with his own daughter. Shockingly, the remains of the boy’s mother were nowhere to be found.
The discovery is “an exceptionally rare and remarkable finding,” the researchers wrote. They also noted that it is “the earliest identified in the archaeological record.”
But why this prehistoric community engaged in such an unusual act remains a mystery. The population wasn’t particularly small, nor did it appear to have a hierarchical or royal system where close-kin unions might consolidate wealth or power.
“The reproductive union between parent and offspring observed in our study may reflect a socially sanctioned behaviour,” the researchers said. That could explain why the father was the only adult male buried in a cemetery otherwise full of women and children.
The study’s co-author Alissa Mittnik, an archaeogeneticist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, said in a statement: “This exceptional case may indicate culturally specific behaviours in this small community, but its significance ultimately remains uncertain.”
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