![]() The researchers then compared the results with DNA samples from another 34 individuals buried around Cusco, which yielded a host of “unexpected results.”ĭr. The geneticists identified the origins of DNA gathered from 34 servants buried at Machu Picchu, who had served the upper crust of the Inca ruling family. The team of researchers from Yale worked alongside scientists from the Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco (UNSAAC), the University of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC), Tulane University, and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Lead researcher, Professor Richard Burger of Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, said the new study expanded on earlier bio-archaeological data, including the findings presented in a 2021 Yale University study which found that Machu Picchu was “older than was previously believed”.īurger said the new DNA analysis confirms historical accounts claiming servants and retainers for the upper classes at Machu Picchu “were drawn from many different ethnic groups under Inca control.” But furthermore, the study also reveals “a much greater diversity of origins than was previously suspected, with DNA From the entire empire,” according to Burger. The new study was published in the journal Science Advances and it represents the first exploration into the genomic diversity of the everyday people buried at Machu Picchu and other Inca sites around Cusco, the ancient capital city of the Inca Empire. ( Pav-Pro Photography / Adobe Stock) A Greater Genetic Diversity Than Expected The World-Renowned Machu Picchu Name Was Unknown to the IncasĬlassic vista of Machu Picchu with Huayna Picchu in the background.The Mysteries of Machu Picchu and Archaeological Obsession.A new genetic analysis shows how the people who lived, worked, and died, serving the Inca ruling family at Machu Picchu, were “a diverse community representing many different ethnic groups from across the Inca empire ”. Until now, little was known about the everyday people who fed and clothed the Inca elites, and astronomer-priests, in residence. However, the precision of its construction - orientated and aligned with celestial events - provides evidence of the Incas advanced knowledge of astronomy. Despite many excavations, this deeply sacred site is still shrouded in intriguing archaeological mysteries and its original purpose and function remain unclear. ![]() Situated high in the Andes Mountains of Southern Peru, Machu Picchu is the world-renowned 15th century Inca citadel. But new research on DNA gathered from the bones of servants who worked for Inca royals at Machu Picchu reveals a diverse society comprising distant genetics. Most ancient DNA studies focus on societal elites found in elaborate tombs.
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