Mysterious mummies from the Sahara
It has become known that archaeologists from the Max Planck Institute in Germany have made an unexpected discovery on the territory of modern Libya.
They found two mummified skeletons, the age of which is about seven thousand years. This is reported by the Daily Mail.
These remains belong to a previously unknown group of ancient people who existed in the period of the Green Sahara.
It was previously thought that the ancient inhabitants of the Green Sahara were actively interacting with groups from sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.
However, the study showed that the community found was genetically distinct.
DNA analysis of the mummies revealed a minimal number of Neanderthal genes, distinguishing them from ancient humans who inhabited areas outside Africa.
The researchers believe that the isolated genetic makeup of the region’s ancient inhabitants may have resulted from a lack of prolonged contact with migrating people.
Instead of cultural and genetic mixing, there was an exchange of knowledge, particularly in the field of agrarian practices.
It is established that about 7-8 thousand years ago they began to graze cattle due to favorable conditions in the Green Sahara.
The DNA of the mummies has a link to ancient hunter-gatherers who inhabited Morocco about 15,000 years ago.
However, their genetic lineage in pristine form is no longer found among modern humans.
At the same time, the study showed that their heritage is still present in the genetic makeup of modern North Africans.