Ancient DNA gives new insights into a Norman Neolithic monumental cemetery dedicated to male elites

The Middle Neolithic in western Europe is characterized by monumental funerary structures, known as megaliths, along the Atlantic facade. The first manifestations of this phenomenon occurred in modern-day France with the long mounds of the Cerny culture. Here, we present genome-wide data from the fifth-millennium BCE site of Fleury-sur-Orne in Normandy (France), famous for its impressively long monuments built for selected individuals. The site encompasses 32 monuments of variable sizes, containing the burials of 19 individuals from the Neolithic period. To address who was buried at the site, we generated genome-wide data for 14 individuals, of whom 13 are males, completing previously published data [M. Rivollat et al., Sci. Adv. 6, eaaz5344 (2020)]. Population genetic and Y chromosome analyses show that the Fleury-sur-Orne group fits within western European Neolithic genetic diversity and that the arrival of a new group is detected after 4,000 calibrated BCE. The results of analyzing uniparentally inherited markers and an overall low number of long runs of homozygosity suggest a patrilineal group practicing female exogamy. We find two pairs of individuals to be father and son, buried together in the same monument/grave. No other biological relationship can link monuments together, suggesting that each monument was dedicated to a genetically independent lineage. The combined data and documented father-son line of descent suggest a male-mediated transmission of sociopolitical authority. However, a single female buried with an arrowhead, otherwise considered a symbol of power of the male elite of the Cerny culture, questions a strictly biological sex bias in the burial rites of this otherwise masculine monumental cemetery.

Automated summary

This study analyzes the genomic data from the fifth-millennium BCE site of Fleury-sur-Orne in Normandy, France, which is famous for its monumental burial structures. The results reveal that the burials at the site include 19 individuals, with two pairs identified as father and son. The analysis also suggests that each monument represents a genetically independent lineage. Furthermore, the genetic diversity of the site aligns with western European Neolithic populations, and a new genetic group is detected after 4,000 BCE. Interestingly, the presence of a female burial challenges the assumption of a strictly male-focused burial rite.