Felice Larocca / CRS “Enzo dei Medici”
The wide entrance to the Grotta della Monaca, seen from the inside during field activities.
An analysis of DNA found in a cave in Italy revealed a complex ancestral community, with rigorously organized burial practices — and a surprising family secret.
In a cave in the mountains of southern Italy, Bronze Age families buried their dead for centuries. Now these scattered bones tell a story of migration, food resilience and an extraordinary family event.
Already Nun’s Cavein Calabria, researchers reconstructed the genetic and social life of a Protoapennin group who lived there between around 1780 and 1380 BC By extracting ancient DNA from scattered bones, they traced family ties, long-distance connections and everyday habits.
They also discovered the oldest and clearest genetic evidence known to incest between father and daughter in prehistoric Europe, preserved in the genome of a teenager buried in that cave.
was recently published in the magazine Communications Biology.
Broader Connections
The Grotta della Monaca is located more than 600 meters above sea level, in the Pollino massif, in southern Italy. It’s far from the Bronze Age cities and ports that tend to dominate Mediterranean archaeology. However, the people buried there were not as isolated as one might think.
“Our analysis shows that the Grotta della Monaca population shared strong genetic affinities with groups from the Early Bronze Age of Sicily, but did not display the Eastern Mediterranean influences found among their Sicilian contemporaries,” he said. Francesco Fontani, researcher at the Max Planck Institute and first author of the study, in .
This pattern suggests that Calabria followed a own demographic pathalthough he maintained contacts across the Strait of Messina. Two individuals had genetic links to northeast Italysign of long-distance travel across the peninsula.
DNA revealed a common Bronze Age patterncombining ancestry from early farmers, European hunter-gatherers, and steppe pastoralists. It closely matched the genetic profile of Early Bronze Age Sicily, with some local differences.
Despite living in a small mountain community, these people were part of broader dynamics mobility and contact.
Food, Family and Burial
The researchers also found that the funeral practices were rigorously organized. Mothers were buried close to their childrenand a specific sector was almost entirely dedicated to women and young people, with only one adult man present in that space.
Genetic markers showed that the majority of individuals in the cave were lactose intolerant. Biologically, adults should not be able to consume milk without getting sick. However, isotopic evidence extracted from the bones indicates that consumed significant amounts of dairy products. But that didn’t stop them.
“This paradox illustrates how cultural adaptation may precede genetic evolution,” he explained. Donata Luiselli, senior co-author of the study, in the statement.
Long before the genetic mutation that allows most European adults to digest milk became common, there were already populations raising cattle and find ways to enjoy your products.
And, long before the mutation for lactase persistence spread across Europe, andThese pastors found a solution—probably transforming the milk in cheese or yogurt to reduce lactose, thus managing to survive in a mountainous and demanding environment.
A Dark Family Secret
Among the 23 individuals analyzed, there were a genome that stood out immediately. A pre-adolescent boy had an extreme amount of shared genetic material—well above what is seen even in small, isolated populations.
When the team looked deeper, they found what they called “unequivocal proof” of first-degree incest. The boy was the son of the only adult male buried in the main burial area. The mother was the daughter of this same man.
“This exceptional case may indicate specific cultural behaviors in this small community, but its meaning remains ultimately uncertain,” he said. Alissa Mittniksenior author of the study, in the statement.
Although archaeologists have found evidence of incest before, this usually occurs between siblings and, often, in royal or elite contexts, such as in ancient Egypt or the Incas, to preserve the lineage. Unions between father and daughter are very rarer and biologically riskier.
O The reason for this to have occurred remains unknown. The community was not particularly small, nor are there signs of a rigid hierarchythe. Whether this union was accepted, forced or just a specific transgression may never be clarified.
