In a breakthrough that redefines our understanding of early Egyptian population history, scientists have sequenced the first complete ancient genome from Egypt, revealing that a man buried over 4,500 years ago in a hillside tomb near Nuwayrat had a mixed ancestry, predominantly North African, but with significant Mesopotamian roots. The study, published in Nature, represents a historic milestone in ancient genomics.
This individual lived during the bridge between Egypt's Early Dynastic Period and the Old Kingdom, a time when the first pyramids were rising and Egypt was evolving into one of the world's first centralized states. Despite this critical period's archaeological richness, Egypt's hot climate has long prevented the recovery of intact ancient DNA - until now.
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Buried in Clay, Preserved by Time
The man's remains were first uncovered in 1902 near Nuwayrat, about 265 kilometers (165 miles) south of Cairo, and later stored at the World Museum Liverpool. His body had been buried in a ceramic vessel inside a rock-cut tomb, before the advent of artificial mummification. That practice - uncommon at the time - may ironically have helped preserve his DNA. The genetic material was successfully extracted from one of his teeth using next-generation sequencing technologies.
Pottery coffin and archaeological remains of the Nuwayrat individual, as discovered in 1902. (Image courtesy of the Garstang Museum of Archaeology, University of Liverpool/Francis Crick Institute)
"This individual has been on an extraordinary journey," said Dr. Linus Girdland Flink, a co-senior author from the University of Aberdeen and visiting researcher at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). "He lived and died during a critical period of change in ancient Egypt, and his skeleton has now helped uncover the genetic diversity of the time", quotes a Liverpool John Moores University release.
First Genomic Evidence of Contact with the Fertile Crescent
While archaeological findings have long suggested that trade and cultural exchange existed between Egypt and the Fertile Crescent (encompassing modern-day Iraq, Iran, and Jordan) this is the first genomic confirmation of actual population movement. According to the researchers, about 80% of the individual's ancestry matched North African populations, while the remaining 20% could be traced to ancient Mesopotamian groups, records the Francis Crick Institute release.
"This individual is the first genetic evidence showing that people moved into Egypt from the Fertile Crescent and intermingled with local populations at this early date," explained Pontus Skoglund, Group Leader of the Ancient Genomics Laboratory at the Francis Crick Institute.
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A Potter's Hands in an Elite Tomb?
One of the most intriguing aspects of the study is what the man's skeletal remains suggest about his daily life. Analyses of his bones indicate he likely spent much of his life sitting or kneeling for long periods, with muscle markings on his arms and extensive arthritis in his right foot, particularly in areas that would be engaged while operating a pottery wheel.
"The clues in his bones-the wear patterns, his posture, and the arthritis-all point to the kind of physical labor associated with pottery," said Professor Joel Irish, a bioarchaeologist at LJMU.
"Yet the individual's elaborate burial was not typical for someone of low status, suggesting he may have been a skilled artisan whose talent elevated his social standing."
Indeed, the pottery wheel itself had only recently spread into Egypt from the Middle East at the time, potentially tying the man's lifestyle directly to the cross-cultural currents evident in his genome.
Facial reconstruction of the individual from Nuwayrat using 3D scan data of the skull and analysis of the bones. (Credit: Caroline Wilkinson, Liverpool John Moores University./ Morez Jacobs et al., Nature (2025)
Facial Reconstruction and a Legacy Recovered
To bring the man's story to life, a facial reconstruction was created using 3D scans of his skull by Professor Caroline Wilkinson and her team at the Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University. The result reveals the features of a man who lived, worked, and died during one of the most pivotal epochs of Egyptian civilization.
"Piecing together all the clues from this individual's DNA, bones and teeth have allowed us to build a comprehensive picture of a life lived 4,800 years ago," said Adeline Morez Jacobs, the study's lead author. "We hope future DNA samples from ancient Egypt can expand on when precisely this movement from West Asia started."
The team emphasizes that while this genome opens a new window into the genetic and cultural landscapes of early Egypt, many more genomes are needed to map broader population trends.
Top image: Left, Final facial depiction of the Nuwayrat individual. Right; The Nuwayrat individual’s partially complete skeleton. Source: Morez Jacobs et al../Nature (2025)
By Gary Manners
References
Morez Jacobs, A., et al. (2025). Whole-genome ancestry of an Old Kingdom Egyptian. Nature. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09195-5
Francis Crick Institute. (2025, July 2). Researchers sequence first genome from ancient Egypt. https://www.crick.ac.uk
Liverpool John Moores University. (2025, July 2). Researchers sequence first genome from Ancient Egypt. Available at: https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/about-us/news/articles/2025/7/2/egypt-genome
