Building tombs and entombing the dead as technologies of descent and affinity in Neolithic northern Scotland

Cummings, Vicki, Fowler, Chris, Olalde, Inigo, Cuthbert, Sarah and Reich, David 2026. Building tombs and entombing the dead as technologies of descent and affinity in Neolithic northern Scotland. Antiquity 100 (410) , pp. 324-339. 10.15184/aqy.2026.10291

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Abstract

When grounded within relevant archaeological contexts, ancient DNA analysis can provide critical insights into prehistoric human populations. This is demonstrated in this article, where the authors examine the genetic relatedness of individuals whose remains were placed in five Neolithic tombs in Caithness and Orkney, northern Scotland. The results reveal a web of biological ties that, the authors argue, suggests sustained contact between these communities beyond the onset of the Neolithic and shared understandings of kinship, including descent and a sense of affinity, but emerging local differences in how kinship was materialised through monumental architecture.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > History, Archaeology and Religion
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
ISSN:	0003-598X
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	17 December 2025
Date of Acceptance:	2 October 2025
Last Modified:	16 Apr 2026 12:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/183303

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