LBV Magazine English Edition The pre-Roman Iron Age Celtic culture in Western and Central Europe has left behind numerous artifacts including large burial mounds and impressive archaeological finds much about this civilization remains shrouded in mystery a collaboration between the State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments in Baden-Württemberg and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA) in Leipzig has provided new insights into Celtic society through the reconstruction of genomes from individuals buried in several ancient burial mounds The burial mounds of Eberdingen-Hochdorf and Asperg-Grafenbühl are among the richest prehistoric burials in Germany containing gold artifacts and intricate bronze vessels A new genetic analysis has now revealed that two princes buried about 10 kilometers apart were closely related biologically It has long been suspected that the two princes buried in the Eberdingen-Hochdorf and Asperg ‘Grafenbühl’ mounds were related says Dirk Krausse from the State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments But this assumption has only now been confirmed through new analyses teeth and bone samples from the inner ear region of the skull were collected and sequenced at the MPI-EVA using the latest methods reconstructing the genomes of a total of 31 individuals The two central burials stood out due to their close genetic relationship After establishing a genetic link between the two individuals the research team explored various possible connections only one scenario is plausible: the Hochdorf prince’s sister was the mother of the Asperg prince This result indicates that political power in this society was likely inherited through biological succession This conclusion is further supported by evidence of relationships among other individuals from the two mounds as well as from the much more distant Magdalenenberg mound constructed approximately 100 years earlier it appears we are dealing with a wide network among the Celts in Baden-Württemberg where political power was supported by biological kinship But how were these Celts related to other inhabitants of Iron Age Europe beyond Baden-Württemberg A detailed analysis of the genetic origins of this group reveals a genetic heritage likely rooted in present-day France which was widespread across southern Germany at that time several individuals showed genetic origins from Italy which correlates well with the Mediterranean-style objects found in the graves the study is a crucial piece in understanding European history during the Middle and Late Iron Age Unlike the Roman period and other early medieval times this era cannot be thoroughly investigated through written sources The genetic evidence provides a new dimension to our understanding of Celtic society and its political structures Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology | Gretzinger, J., Schmitt, F., Mötsch, A. et al. Evidence for dynastic succession among early Celtic elites in Central Europe. Nat Hum Behav (2024). doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-01888-7 Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email Archaeologists from universities in the United States and Denmark found deep within the Actun Uayazba Kab cave in Belize two small stone tools dated between 250 and 900 AD that… men and women gathered to play a game called Cuju A team of researchers has succeeded in recreating for the first time in a laboratory experiment a phenomenon that until now only existed as a theory in the realm of… the Cantonal Archaeology of Aargau carried out a rescue excavation between early May 2024 and the end of March 2025 The Egyptian archaeological mission affiliated with the Supreme Council of Antiquities announced the discovery of a group of defensive structures and a system of moats that could indicate… In the southeastern area of the city of Rome archaeologists excavating inside the Triton Baths within the monumental complex of the Villa di Sette… Why did some animals from ancient eras become fossils while others simply disappeared without a trace A recent study on the cave paintings of the Altamira Cave in Santillana del Mar Cantabria (Spain) has concluded that some of the artworks it contains could be much older… A team of paleontologists from the University of Leicester has managed to decipher one of the many enigmas of the dinosaur era—the exact moment when pterosaurs Rome achieved numerous military victories that allowed it to grow and dominate nearly the entire known world in Antiquity Receive our news and articles in your email for free You can also support us with a monthly subscription and receive exclusive content About  .  Contact  .  Donation much about the Celts remains shrouded in mystery A collaborative effort between the State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments in Baden-Württemberg and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA) in Leipzig the genomes of Celtic individuals from several burial mounds have been reconstructed reveals significant information about the Celts’ familial and societal structures The burial mounds of Eberdingen-Hochdorf and Asperg-Grafenbühl are among the most opulent burials in German prehistory featuring gold artifacts and elaborate bronze vessels The new genetic analysis has confirmed that two princes buried in these mounds Dirk Krausse of the State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments remarked “It has long been suspected that the two princes from the burial mounds in Eberdingen-Hochdorf and Asperg-Grafenbühl were related but only now has this assumption been confirmed by the new analyses.” Researchers at MPI-EVA sampled teeth and skull bones from the inner ear using the latest techniques allowing them to sequence the genomes of 31 individuals This analysis revealed a close biological relationship between the two central burials it was determined that the most likely relationship was that of uncle and nephew This finding suggests that political power in Celtic society was likely inherited through biological succession The study also uncovered evidence of relationships between other individuals from these mounds as well as from the more distant Magdalenenberg mound This indicates a broad network among the Celts in Baden-Württemberg where political power was reinforced by biological kinship The genetic origins of the Celtic individuals analyzed in this study were traced to present-day France with a widespread presence in southern Germany at the time Several individuals also showed genetic origins from Italy aligning with the Mediterranean styles of many grave goods Additional findings from the study include evidence of matrilineal inheritance of power among the Celtic elites Researchers found that the early Celts may have inherited power through the maternal line as indicated by the genetic link between the two princes known as matrilinear avunculate organization likely arose from the need to ensure genetic relatedness in a society where extramarital mating was common The analysis of the skeletons also revealed other familial connections a great-grandmother and her great-grandson were identified despite being buried about 60 miles and a century apart two individuals were found to be offspring of first-cousin parents suggesting that inbreeding might have been more common among the Celtic elites than previously thought This research supports the notion of hereditary leadership organized along maternal lines the rich burials of women indicate their high status in society Stephan Schiffels from MPI-EVA noted in an email to Live Science “If a ruler has children on their own but also passes power to their sister’s children then there might be an incentive to merge the direct and the sister’s lineage which would then result in first-cousin matings through the female line But we cannot prove such a scenario from the genetic data.” The findings provide a clearer picture of the early Celtic political system characterized by familial interconnectedness and regional hierarchy The study suggests that the early Celtic elite societies of southwestern Germany were highly complex with power and status being passed down through biological kinship and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()) Learn how to describe the purpose of the image (opens in a new tab) Leave empty if the image is purely decorative This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.