Today, the Mysticals were strolling through one of Britain’s best-preserved tombs from the Neolithic period (about 8,000 B.C.E. to 3,000 B.C.E.). BCE stands for Before Common Era. It is the period before the Christian calendar we follow starts counting years. This tomb was near the Hazleton Village in Cotswolds, England. It is called Hazelton North long cairn. A cairn is a kind of memorial.
But how did the Gifted Four land up here? A group of archaeologists had published a study in a journal called Nature.
Archaeologists are scientists who study ancient remains such as pottery, seals, temples, weapons, and so on. They find such objects through excavation (digging up the site). Then they study them thoroughly and discover more about ancient humans and world history.
According to the study published in Nature, these archaeologists had studied the DNA found in the bones and teeth of 35 prehistoric people who were buried in this tomb at least 5,700 years ago. Prehistory is the period in human history before recorded or written remains. That’s why studying archaeological remains play an important role.
According to their research, 27 of these 35 people were biological relatives of an extended family. That is, they were related by blood. These people belonged to five continuous generations. They formed the world’s oldest family tree!
When the Mysticals found out about this research, they had to go see the cairn for themselves. So, off they went!
“Wow, I can’t believe that these people lived 5,700 years ago!” said Scorch, “That means, they belonged to the Neolithic period. In this period, ancient humans switched from being hunter-gatherers to being farmers. They also domesticated animals. This period lasted from about 8,000 B.C.E. to 3,000 B.C.E.”
“And this makes the buried people Britain’s first farmers!” said Orak.
Most of them descended from four women who were married to the same man. The tomb was divided into two L-shaped chambered areas. In the tomb, family members were arranged as per the woman from whom they descended.
“This gives so much new information about family structures of this period,” said Verum.