The ‘king’ of Newgrange? A critical analysis of a Neolithic petrous fragment from the passage tomb chamber

Recent aDNA analysis of a skull fragment (NG10) from Newgrange revealed a rare case of incest. This, together with a wider network of distantly related passage tomb interments, has led to claims of elites in later Neolithic Ireland. We evaluate this social evolutionary interpretation, which rests primarily on placement in a large monument and perception of incest as high status. NG10’s context is not secure, the mortuary system did not consistently engender individual status, and there is limited evidence for inequalities in settlement and subsistence data. The genetic patterning is better understood as unstable identity negotiations between widely connected groups.