New Study Refutes Previous Claims About Neolithic Ireland

NEWGRANGE, IRELAND—A DNA study of human remains found within the 5,500-year-old Newgrange passage tomb caused a stir in 2020 when it revealed that at least one of the individuals interred there was the product of a relationship between two siblings or a parent and child. That person was also related to several other individuals whose remains were found within the chamber. This led scholars to speculate that an elite social class—one that maintained incestuous relationships—ruled over the Neolithic people of Ireland. However, according to a statement released by the University of York, new evidence seems to refute those conclusions. Researchers from the University of York and University College Dublin looked at factors such as dietary habits, wealth accumulation, and house size within Neolithic communities. They concluded that there were no apparent disparities within the communities in these terms and therefore no evidence of a hierarchical royal class that held power over others. While researchers acknowledge that only some members of society were selected to be buried within the monumental Newgrange burial mound, they do not yet know why certain people were chosen, though they are certain it wasn’t because of social or economic standing. “There are still many questions to solve here, but building this picture means looking at the monument together with the society that was built up around it, and from this, we get a step closer to understanding a community that was much more inclusive and equal than previously thought,” said University of York archaeologist Penny Bickle. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Antiquity. To read about another Neolithic passage tomb discovered in Ireland's Boyne Valley, go to "Passage to the Afterlife."