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Family trees from the European Neolithic

Scientists gain insights into the social behaviour of a Neolithic community

The Neolithic burial site of Gurgy ‘les Noisats’ in France revealed two unprecedentedly large family trees which  allowed a Franco-German team to explore the social organization of the 6,700-year-old community. Based on multiple lines of evidence, the team describes a close kin group which practiced monogamy and female exogamy, and experienced generally stable times.

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© Drawing by Elena Plain; reproduced with the permission of the University of Bordeaux / PACEA