Slashdot Mirror
Modern Technology Reveals Mummy's Past
mamamia writes "The baby mummy had a European mom, and likely came from a wealthy family. But where he lived and why he died — and at such a young age — remain a mystery. The mummy, exhibited for the first time Thursday at the Saint Louis Science Center, has been the year-long focus of an international team of investigators. The museum said it may be the most extensive research project ever undertaken on a child mummy."
Given that this mummy died well after the time of Alexander the great, having a mother with European ancestry is not at all surprising.
Yes, it would not be surprising, but I have to question the conclusions. It is impossible, yes, impossible to conclude from genetic evidence that the mother was European. There is simply too much gene exchange between Europe and Egypt over the preceding centuries for mitochondrial genes to be so perfectly segregated.
Presumably the child had a mitochondrial haplotype associated with Europe, such as H or V, and that is where the "Europe" label comes from. But even if this haplotype is associated with Europe and not with Egypt, no one can say for sure whether it was this child's mother, grandmother, or great-great-great-45-times-over-grandmother who emigrated from Europe to Egypt.
There were many documented historical interactions between Egypt and the Middle East prior to the Ptolemaic period, including the time when it was ruled by the Hyksos. As well I recall some suggestion that the ancient Minoans might have had connections with Egypt, and certainly the Greeks did even before Alexander's conquest of Egypt. And all it takes is one migration to leave a "foriegn" genetic signature.