Researchers have sequenced the genome of an ancient Egyptian who was buried in a pot nearly 5,000 years ago, about the time some of the oldest, and most famous, pyramids were built.

In a groundbreaking scientific discovery, an international research team has successfully sequenced the first whole ancient Egyptian genome from an individual who lived 4,500 to 4,800 years ago – the oldest DNA sample from Egypt to date.

More than 4,000 years ago, Egypt and Mesopotamia stood as two of the most complex societies on the planet. But the new DNA sequencing reveals how these two populations also intermingled.