@article{95500a5efaa84cb9af64c21c4b1abb5b,
title = "Ancient genomes reveal cosmopolitan ancestry and maternal kinship patterns at post-Roman Worth Matravers, Dorset",
abstract = "Kinship can be difficult to discern in the archaeological record, but the study of ancient DNA offers a useful window into one form of kinship: biological relatedness. Here, the authors explore possible kin connections at the post-Roman site of Worth Matravers in south-west England. They find that, while clusters of genetically related individuals are apparent, the inclusion of unrelated individuals in double or triple burials demonstrates an element of social kinship in burial location. Some individuals also carried genetic signatures of continental ancestry, with one young male revealing recent West African ancestry, highlighting the diverse heritage of early medieval Britain.",
keywords = "African ancestry, ancient DNA, Anglo-Saxon, biological kinship, Britain & Ireland, post-Roman",
author = "Foody, {M. George B.} and Katharina Dulias and Pierre Justeau and Ditchfield, {Peter W.} and Lilian Ladle and Joscha Gretzinger and Stephan Schiffels and David Reich and Robert Kenyon and Duncan Sayer and Richards, {Martin B.} and Maria Pala and Edwards, {Ceiridwen J.}",
note = "Funding Information: Funding was provided by The Leverhulme Trust via a Doctoral Scholarship programme entitled \u2018Genetic journeys into history: the next generation\u2019. Ancient DNA data generation was supported by the John Templeton Foundation (grant 61220) and by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Radiocarbon dating of sample CE049 was undertaken as part of the COMMIOS project at the University of York, funded by the European Research Council under the European Union\u2019s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (grant 834087). Radiocarbon dating of samples KD007 and KD010 were undertaken as part of an inter-lab comparison at the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Antiquity Publications Ltd.",
year = "2025",
month = oct,
day = "1",
doi = "10.15184/aqy.2025.10133",
language = "English",
volume = "99",
pages = "1356--1371",
journal = "Antiquity",
issn = "0003-598X",
publisher = "Cambridge University Press",
number = "407",
}
