Harz family discovers 3,000-year-old lineage via DNA

A family from Osterode has discovered a lineage in the Harz region that potentially spans 3,000 years. Following a DNA test, Manfred Huchthausen (76) was linked to remains found in a Bronze Age burial site.

Experts from the museum at Iberger Tropfsteinhöhle in Bad Grund suggest this may be the oldest verifiable family tree in Lower Saxony, and possibly the world. The Huchthausen family remains deeply rooted in the area; Manfred was born in his current home, and his son, Volker, lives only a few kilometers from the Lichtensteinhöhle site where the ancient DNA was discovered.