Research Uncovers Ancient Greek Tradition of Encouraging Marriage Between First Cousins

In Bronze Age Greece, cousin marriages were a common strategy for land retention, a new study reveals.

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, analyzed over 100 genomes from ancient remains in the Aegean, uncovering that cousin marriages were frequent in Minoan Crete and Mycenaean Greece, unlike other European societies.

The study, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, provided “exciting insights” into the social structures of the Aegean Bronze Age.

DNA analysis of people buried in a tomb beneath a courtyard in a Mycenaean village helped reconstruct the family trees of its inhabitants.

Archaeologist Professor Philipp Stockhammer explained that their goal was to understand genetic relationships and their societal implications.

Findings showed that many buried together were close relatives. “We found that three adult sons lived in the house, and one marriage partner brought her sister and child, indicating a complex household,” Stockhammer noted.

The study revealed that about half of islanders and a third of mainlanders married their cousins, a rarity in other ancient societies.

Stockhammer believes these marriages were economically motivated to keep family land intact. Essential crops like grapes and olives, requiring decades to mature, likely influenced this practice. Marrying within the family ensured land remained consolidated over generations.

This cousin marriage practice contrasts with other parts of Bronze Age Europe, where women often traveled long distances to marry, reflecting more abundant resources. “In Greece, limited space and the long maturation of crops necessitated such marriages,” Stockhammer explained.

These findings challenge previous understandings of these societies, compelling a reevaluation of their social organizations. The study provides a deeper insight into the everyday lives of these ancient civilizations, beyond palace records and artistic achievements.