Russia (bbabo.net) - The oldest family tree in the world is found in a tomb in the Cotswolds in the southwest of England, which is 5,700 years old. DNA analysis of the remains of the bodies revealed five generations of a large family.

A team of researchers examined the bones and teeth of 35 people in one of the best-preserved Neolithic British tombs, located near the village of Hazleton in the Cotswolds. According to Dr. Chris Fowler of the University of Newcastle, the results of the study are "startling." Scientists found that 27 out of 35 people were biological relatives from five continuous generations of one large family. Most of them were born to four women who had children from the same man, according to the Guardian.

The tomb, known as the Hazleton North Long Cairn, is divided into two L-shaped areas with chambers, and research has shown that dead bodies have been buried for generations next to the women from whom they descended. This shows, concludes Dr. Fowler, "that these first generation women were socially significant in the memory of this community."

The prehistoric group of people in question lived around 3700-3600 BC and were one of the earliest communities of British shepherds. The tomb was built about 100 years after the introduction of cattle and grain crops from mainland Europe to England. It took another 700 years before construction began on the most famous Neolithic heritage - Stonehenge, historians noted. According to archaeologists, these people moved around the area and grazed animals. They ate mostly dairy products, ate a diet rich in protein, and made pots for storing and preparing food. Recent research shows that family ties were very important to them.

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