Ancient DNA reveals extreme family ties in Bronze Age southern Italy - study

The genetic evidence is consistent with a father-daughter union, making it one of the clearest and earliest documented cases of such extreme parental consanguinity in the archaeological record.

By Jerusalem Post Staff, December 22, 2025

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-881011

DNA (illustrative). (photo credit: SHUTTERSTOCK)

A groundbreaking genetic study has uncovered evidence of extreme parental consanguinity within a Bronze Age community in southern Italy, offering rare insight into prehistoric social structures and family dynamics.

The research, published this month in Communications Biology, analyzed ancient DNA from human remains found at Grotta della Monaca, a cave site in Calabria used for burials during the Middle Bronze Age, roughly between 1780 and 1380 BCE. By reconstructing genome-wide data from 14 individuals, researchers mapped kinship, ancestry, and population history with unprecedented detail for this region.

The most striking finding centers on one individual whose genetic profile revealed extraordinarily long stretches of identical DNA, known as runs of homozygosity. These patterns indicate that the person was the child of a first-degree incestuous relationship. According to the researchers, the genetic evidence is consistent with a father-daughter union, making it one of the clearest and earliest documented cases of such extreme parental consanguinity in the archaeological record.

A documented incestuous relationship from the Bronze Age

While incest taboos are deeply rooted in most known societies, the authors caution against assuming this case reflects broader social norms. Instead, it may represent an exceptional circumstance within a small, tightly knit community. The study notes that background relatedness among individuals was already high, a common feature in small or relatively isolated Bronze Age populations.

Beyond this exceptional case, the genetic data reveal that many of the individuals buried in the cave were closely related, including parent-offspring pairs. This suggests the burial site was likely used by a single community or extended family group over multiple generations, rather than by unrelated individuals from a wider region.

DNA (illustrative) (credit: Courtesy)

The study also sheds light on the ancestry of Bronze Age southern Italians, a population that has long been underrepresented in ancient DNA research. The Grotta della Monaca individuals share ancestry typical of Bronze Age Italy, largely derived from early European farmers, with smaller contributions from Steppe pastoralist and western hunter-gatherer populations. Their genetic profile places them between early Bronze Age groups from Sicily and those from central and northern Italy.

Notably, the researchers found little evidence of genetic input from the eastern Mediterranean or North Africa, in contrast to influences observed in some other Bronze Age populations in the region. This suggests that communities in southern Italy may have followed distinct demographic paths, shaped by local networks rather than extensive long-distance migration.

Taken together, the findings offer a rare glimpse into both the biological and social realities of a prehistoric community. By combining genetic analysis with archaeological context, the study demonstrates how ancient DNA can illuminate not only where people came from but also how they lived, organized families, and navigated life in small-scale societies thousands of years ago.

The authors emphasize that while the incest case is exceptional, it underscores the power of archaeogenetics to uncover aspects of human behavior that rarely leave visible traces in the archaeological record.

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