Haak, W.Brandt, G.de Jong, H.Meyer, C.Ganslmeier, R.Heyd, V.Hawkesworth, C.Pike, A.Meller, H.Alt, K.2009-11-092009-11-092008Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA, 2008; 105(47):18226-182310027-84241091-6490http://hdl.handle.net/2440/52316In 2005 four outstanding multiple burials were discovered near Eulau, Germany. The 4,600-year-old graves contained groups of adults and children buried facing each other. Skeletal and artifactual evidence and the simultaneous interment of the individuals suggest the supposed families fell victim to a violent event. In a multidisciplinary approach, archaeological, anthropological, geochemical (radiogenic isotopes), and molecular genetic (ancient DNA) methods were applied to these unique burials. Using autosomal, mitochondrial, and Y-chromosomal markers, we identified genetic kinship among the individuals. A direct child-parent relationship was detected in one burial, providing the oldest molecular genetic evidence of a nuclear family. Strontium isotope analyses point to different origins for males and children versus females. By this approach, we gain insight into a Late Stone Age society, which appears to have been exogamous and patrilocal, and in which genetic kinship seems to be a focal point of social organization.enburial ritesNeolithicviolenceCorded Ware CultureexogamyJournal article002008412610.1073/pnas.08075921050002614893000362-s2.0-5744910027540932Haak, W. [0000-0003-2475-2007]