My European Family: The First 54,000 Years
The story of Europe and its peoples, told through its genetic legacy and woven together using the latest archaeological findings, will fascinate anyone interested in genealogy.

Karin Bojs grew up in a small, broken family, and at her mother’s funeral she felt this more acutely than ever. As part of the healing process, she decided to use DNA research to learn more about herself, her family, and the interconnectedness of society. She went deep in search of her genealogy, having her DNA sequenced and tested, and effectively becoming an experimental subject.

Remarkably, she was able to trace the path of her ancestors through recorded history and into prehistory. Through the course of her research, she met dozens of scientists working in genetic research. The narrative travels the length and breadth of Europe, from the Neanderthals of central Germany to the Cro-Magnon in France. Bojs visited the ancient caves, realizing that her direct ancestors must have been living in the area when the cave art was painted. A second DNA analysis later revealed she has Sami (i.e. Lapp) genetic material in her genome, and there were further revelations about her hunter-gatherer, Bronze-Age, and Iron-Age relatives, including the Vikings.

This fresh, first-person exploration of genes and genetics goes well beyond personal genealogy and reveals much about the shared history of European peoples.

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My European Family: The First 54,000 Years
The story of Europe and its peoples, told through its genetic legacy and woven together using the latest archaeological findings, will fascinate anyone interested in genealogy.

Karin Bojs grew up in a small, broken family, and at her mother’s funeral she felt this more acutely than ever. As part of the healing process, she decided to use DNA research to learn more about herself, her family, and the interconnectedness of society. She went deep in search of her genealogy, having her DNA sequenced and tested, and effectively becoming an experimental subject.

Remarkably, she was able to trace the path of her ancestors through recorded history and into prehistory. Through the course of her research, she met dozens of scientists working in genetic research. The narrative travels the length and breadth of Europe, from the Neanderthals of central Germany to the Cro-Magnon in France. Bojs visited the ancient caves, realizing that her direct ancestors must have been living in the area when the cave art was painted. A second DNA analysis later revealed she has Sami (i.e. Lapp) genetic material in her genome, and there were further revelations about her hunter-gatherer, Bronze-Age, and Iron-Age relatives, including the Vikings.

This fresh, first-person exploration of genes and genetics goes well beyond personal genealogy and reveals much about the shared history of European peoples.

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My European Family: The First 54,000 Years

My European Family: The First 54,000 Years

by Karin Bojs
My European Family: The First 54,000 Years

My European Family: The First 54,000 Years

by Karin Bojs

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Overview

The story of Europe and its peoples, told through its genetic legacy and woven together using the latest archaeological findings, will fascinate anyone interested in genealogy.

Karin Bojs grew up in a small, broken family, and at her mother’s funeral she felt this more acutely than ever. As part of the healing process, she decided to use DNA research to learn more about herself, her family, and the interconnectedness of society. She went deep in search of her genealogy, having her DNA sequenced and tested, and effectively becoming an experimental subject.

Remarkably, she was able to trace the path of her ancestors through recorded history and into prehistory. Through the course of her research, she met dozens of scientists working in genetic research. The narrative travels the length and breadth of Europe, from the Neanderthals of central Germany to the Cro-Magnon in France. Bojs visited the ancient caves, realizing that her direct ancestors must have been living in the area when the cave art was painted. A second DNA analysis later revealed she has Sami (i.e. Lapp) genetic material in her genome, and there were further revelations about her hunter-gatherer, Bronze-Age, and Iron-Age relatives, including the Vikings.

This fresh, first-person exploration of genes and genetics goes well beyond personal genealogy and reveals much about the shared history of European peoples.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781472941459
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Publication date: 05/22/2018
Edition description: Reprint
Pages: 400
Product dimensions: 5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Karin Bojs is a Swedish author and journalist and the former science editor of Swedish daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter. This is the first English translation of My European Family, which won the August Prize when it was published in Sweden in 2015. She lives in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Funeral

PART 1: THE HUNTERS

Chapter 1 : The Troll Child: 54,000 Years Ago

Chapter 2 : Neanderthals in Leipzig

Chapter 3 : The Flute Players

Chapter 4 : First on the Scene in Europe

Chapter 5 : Mammoths in Brno

Chapter 6 : Cro-Magnon

Chapter 7 : The First Dog

Chapter 8 : Doggerland

Chapter 9 : The Ice Age Ends

Chapter 10 : Dark Skin, Blue Eyes

Chapter 11 : Climate and Forests

Chapter 12 : Am I a Sami?

Chapter 13 : Pottery Makes its Appearance

Chapter 14 : The Farmers Arrive

PART 2: THE FARMERS

Chapter 15 : Syria

Chapter 16 : The Boat to Cyprus

Chapter 17 : The First Beer

Chapter 18 : The Farmers ’ Westward Voyages

Chapter 19 : The Homes Built on the Graves of the Dead

Chapter 20 : Clashes in Pilsen and Mainz

Chapter 21 : Sowing and Sunrise

Chapter 22 : Farmers Arrive in Skane

Chapter 23 : Otzi the Iceman

Chapter 24 : The Falbygden Area

Chapter 25 : Hunters’ and Farmers’ Genes

PART 3: THE INDO-EUROPEANS

Chapter 26 : The First Stallion

Chapter 27 : DNA Sequences Provide Links with the East

Chapter 28 : Battleaxes

Chapter 29 : Bell Beakers, Celts and Stonehenge

Chapter 30 : The Nebra Sky Disc in Halle

Chapter 31 : The Rock Engravers

Chapter 32 : Iron and the Plague

Chapter 33 : Am I a Viking?

Chapter 34 : The Mothers

Chapter 35 : The Legacy of Hitler and Stalin

The Tree and the Spring

Questions and Answers about DNA

References, Further Reading and Travel Tips

Acknowledgements

Index

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