5,000-Year-Old Copper Age Baby Found in Well in Italy Reveals Rare Discovery in Its DNA

Written by Romário Pereira de Carvalho

Published on 18/07/2025 at 08:44

Updated on 18/07/2025 at 08:45

(Ministério da Cultura – Superintendência de Arqueologia, Belas Artes e Paisagismo para as províncias de Ravenna, Forlì-Cesena e Rimini/Reprodução)

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5,000-Year-Old Baby Found In Italy Had Rare DNA Similar To That Of Peoples From Scandinavia And The Spanish Coast

In the interior of Italy, an unexpected discovery caught the attention of archaeologists. In a well near the city of Faenza, two teeth and small bone fragments were found. They belonged to a baby who lived about 5,000 years ago, during the Copper Age.

The child died around 17 months of age. Even with the remains being quite degraded, scientists managed to extract important information.

To do this, they used advanced methods, such as ancient DNA analysis, dental study, and radiocarbon dating.

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The Most Surprising

But the most curious detail was in the mitochondrial DNA. This type of genetic material is inherited only through the maternal line.

And it revealed a surprise: the boy belonged to haplogroup V+@72. This lineage is extremely rare among current Europeans.

To date, this haplogroup had only been detected in one more ancient individual. It was found in a necropolis in Sardinia, an Italian island in the Mediterranean.

Currently, this lineage appears more frequently among the Sami people, who live in northern Norway and Sweden. It is also observed in coastal communities in Cantabria, Spain.

The presence of V+@72 in northern Italy thousands of years ago raises hypotheses about long-distance cultural and genetic connections.

It indicates that movements or exchanges between distant groups may have occurred. However, these possible interactions have yet to be fully understood by archaeology.

With information from Super Interessante.

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5,000-Year-Old Copper Age Baby Found in Well in Italy Reveals Rare Discovery in Its DNA

5,000-Year-Old Baby Found In Italy Had Rare DNA Similar To That Of Peoples From Scandinavia And The Spanish Coast

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