The Trouble with Ancient DNA: Telling Stories of the Past with Genomic Science

In her book The Trouble with Ancient DNA, Swedish archaeologist Anna Källén from Umeå University embarks on a critical inquiry into the intersection of archaeology and genetics. Her interest in this field was sparked by the news that a Viking warrior was proven to be a woman through DNA analysis. While intrigued by these findings, Källén also questions the rhetoric and reality behind DNA research, raising concerns about how genetic science intersects with archaeology and influences our understanding of the past.

Källén emphasizes that narratives about prehistory, especially those formed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, were shaped by the social and political needs of their times. She warns that modern notions such as the idea of genetically defined ancestors often serve the ideological constructs of nation-states. In this sense, prehistoric narratives have often been retrofitted to support contemporary family structures, social norms, and economic ideologies.

Through her book, Källén critiques how ancient DNA studies can lead to uncontrolled storytelling, where both the popular media and some researchers may manipulate genetic findings to serve present day narratives. She acknowledges the power of DNA analysis to reveal information about our physical traits and genetic predispositions, but insists that such findings represent only a small part of the story. She encourages readers to confront the reality that genetics alone cannot tell the whole history to better understand the orientation of her book, it is useful to recall other works in this field.

In Tristes Tropiques (1955), Claude Lévi-Strauss reflects on indigenous peoples of South America (including Brazilian tribal communities and Amazonian cultures), revealing how previous accounts were often superficial and aimed at reshaping or simplifying these cultures. From the 1500s onward, the Americas experienced invasion, genocide, and forced cultural transformation, resulting in the loss of much of their original heritage. By the time Joseph Campbell published The Mythic Image in 1974, the cultural, literary, and psychological dimensions of civilizations like the Aztecs and Mayans were being reevaluated, and the way we viewed ancient American civilizations began to change. As we see, ancient civilizations are frequently subject to reinterpretation. At this point, Anna Källén acknowledges the power of DNA in uncovering the past, but she also cautions that overreliance on genetic data can lead us far from the true historical narrative. She underscores, through scientific inquiry, the need for a balanced perspective that resists turning complex histories into overly simplified or ideologically driven stories.

In conclusion, Källén’s book not only defines the limits of ancient DNA research but also offers a critical lens through which to examine how historical narratives are constructed and whose interests they serve. Her approach encourages ethical and multidimensional ways to understand the pastespecially in the shared space between archaeology and genetics.

The truth is, we still don't know exactly what a Yamnaya person looked like; we are merely adjusting the image to fit the data.

The book is structured into four main chapters. The first chapter provides a foundational understanding of what DNA molecules can and cannot do when studying ancient times. It clearly outlines the limitations of the schemas that can be constructed using existing fragments through molecular anthropology (genetic anthropology). In the second chapter, the stories of prehistoric migrations are told based on recent developments in DNA research.

Cheddar Man

The third chapter explores how people from the past and present are connected through genetic studies, examining the social and political implications of these connections. Finally, in the last chapter, we read the story of a man believed to have lived during the Mesolithic period, whose remains were discovered in a cave near the village of Cheddar in Britain.