First human genome from ancient Egypt sequenced from 4,800-year-old teeth

Teeth from the remains of an elderly man who lived approximately 4,800 years ago — around the time that the earliest pyramids were built — have yielded the first full human genome sequence from ancient Egypt. The genome reveals ancestry similar to that of other ancient North Africans, as well as to people from the Middle East. Previous attempts to sequence DNA from ancient Egyptians have used samples from mummies, to mixed results. The remains used in this study pre-date widespread mummification: the person was interred instead in a ceramic pot, a sign of high, but not elite, status.