Woman's DNA provides first evidence for the origin of mysterious culture

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Archaeologists from the University of Hasanuddin in Makassar, uncovered the skeleton of a woman buried in a limestone cave on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.

Studies revealed the person from Leang Panninge, or “Bat Cave”, was 17 or 18 years old when she died some 7,200 years ago.

Her discoverers dubbed her Bessé’  —  nickname bestowed on newborn princesses among the Bugis people who now live in southern Sulawesi.

She represents the only known skeleton of one of the Toalean people. These enigmatic hunter-gatherers inhabited the island before Neolithic farmers from mainland Asia spread into Indonesia around 3,500 years ago.

Our team found ancient DNA that survived inside the inner ear bone of Bessé’, furnishing us with the first direct genetic evidence of the Toaleans. This is also the first time ancient human DNA has been reported from Wallacea, the vast group of islands between Borneo and New Guinea, of which Sulawesi is the largest.

Genomic analysis shows Bessé’ belonged to a population with a previously unknown ancestral composition. She shares about half of her genetic makeup with present-day Indigenous Australians and people in New Guinea and the Western Pacific. It is conceivable the ancestors of Bessé’ were among the first people to reach Wallacea.

(Toalean stone arrowheads)

Source - https://bigthink.com/the-past/ancient-toalean-dna/ 

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Bessé did what??? THAT.