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2026年2月4日DNA Confirms a Patrilineal Clan: Ancient Genomes from the 32 Northern Wei Tombs of the Yang Family at Qianfengcun, Xi’an
The Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology has announced findings from a Northern Wei cemetery at Qianfengcun in southern Xi’an. Between August and November 2021, excavators uncovered 32 tombs dating to the Northern Wei period.
Ancient-DNA analysis shows that most of the males buried there were patrilineally related. Some tombs yielded brick and tile epitaphs bearing dates or the deceased’s names, identifying the occupants mainly as members of the Yang family, spanning both the Pingcheng and Luoyang phases of the Northern Wei. The cemetery produced 23 groups of grave goods, including pottery figurines, porcelain, and the brick and tile inscriptions.
The discovery fills a gap in dated Pingcheng-phase Northern Wei tombs in southern Xi’an. Notably, the family identity recorded on the epitaphs independently matches the patrilineal kinship revealed by ancient DNA, making it a textbook case of archaeology and ancient genomics corroborating each other.
Source: Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology (reported by Yang Yutong, CCTV). CCTV.com / CCTV News, 2026-02-06.
