DNA from the Lichtenstein Cave bronze age burials

Skulls from Lichtenstein Cave, a burial site for bronze age Germans. Two male line descendants (below).

Two Germans Share World’s Longest Family Tree. The Two Men Recently Discovered They Were Related Through a 3,000-Year-Old Ancestor

The men, Manfred Huchthausen, a 58-year-old teacher, and Uwe Lange, a 48-year-old surveyor, had known each other from living in the same village, about half a mile apart from each other.

But they never knew they were related through a 3,000-year-old shared ancestor.

They only recently found out they are both true descendants of Bronze Age cave-dwellers who lived in the area three millenniums ago.

Thanks to a DNA test on well-preserved Bronze Age bones found in the Lichtenstein cave in the foothills of the Harz Mountains in Germany’s Lower Saxony, the men can now claim to have the longest family tree in the world.

“Before the discovery, I could trace my family back by name to 1550,” Lange said. “Now, I can go back 120 generations.”

Lange comes from the small village of Nienstedt, which is near the excavation site.

 Lichtenstein Cave Data Analysis

Again, ancient European DNA showing the same haplogroups as modern people (although not in the same percentages)

-STR Haplotypes of the 19 male individuals^[

HT	393	390	19	391	385a	385b	439	389i	392	389ii	437	438	Σ	Hg
Y1	13	25	16	11	13	17	11	12	11	28	15	10	6	I2b*
Y2	13	25	15	11	13	17	11	12	11	27	15	10	3	I2b*
Y3	13	23	14	11	11	14	12	13	13	29	15	12	1	R1b
Y4	–	–	(17)	(11)	–	–	(11)	12	–	–	–	10	1	I2b*
Y5	13	25	15	11	11	(13)	11	13	11	30	14	11	2	R1a
Y6	13	24	16	11	13	17	11	12	11	28	15	10	3	I2b*
nd	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	3	–

A full item (unfortunately in German) is here