Renaissance

Leonardo´s relatives live still today

Genetics opens new ways for genealogy

by Linda Grünberg     | 09/15/2021

Do you actually know who your ancestors were in the Renaissance Age? You may be an ancestor or relative of kings and artists and you don’t know. Thanks to genetics, that could soon be changed.

So far, genealogy has been more likely a job for historians in dusty archives, but now new genealogists are appearing on the stage of science in ultra-pure laboratories: human geneticists.

In the case of Leonardo da Vinci, they also had to improve and expand a few things and there are 14 relatives still living today – not descendants, because Leonardo had no children what is best known – none of them are universal geniuses, but quite “normal” people .

Curiously, it should be noted that although Leonardo’s reproductive rate is reduced to zero, his genetor, on the other hand, had produced another 22 half-brothers into the world in addition to him.

Already interested to get more? Then just read next to the article on Eurekaalert, which is linked here. And for those who want to know exactly, there is also the scientific article by the researchers in the journal “Human Evolution”, which has almost 80 pages.

Vezzosi, Alessandro / Agnese Sabato: The New Genealogical Tree of the Da Vinci Family for Leonardo’s DNA. Ancestors and descendants in direct male line down to the present XXI generation , in: Human Evolution 36 (2021), S. 1-90
http://www.pontecorboli.com/digital/OpenAccess/2021_12_Vezzosi-Sabato_The-New-Genealogical-Tree-of-the-Da-Vinci-Family-for-Leonardos-DNA.pdf

Leonardo Da Vinci: New family tree spans 21 generations, 690 years, finds 14 living male descendants

Researchers have documented 21 generations of Leonardo Da Vinci’s family covering 690 years and identified 14 living male family descendants.
The family tree is now longer (21 generations vs. 19 in 2016), broader (5 branches vs. 1), larger (14 living male direct descendants vs. 2), far more detailed…

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Newsflash

Cleopatra´s Dog-Bone?

EarthSky | Dog-bone asteroid Kleopatra makes a fetching portrait

ESO released new images of Kleopatra, the dog-bone asteroid. The images helped astronomers uncover its size and composition, revealing that

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Archaeology

In Hadrian´s footsteps

Excavation of Hadrian´s head and other part of an imperial statue

by Andrea Schütze     |     09/13/2021

Though there were also other Roman emperors travelling through the empire, none is associated with travel as much as the adoptive emperor Hadrian.

Not different from our days when the President or Chancellor comes, the residents of a place felt very honored by the presence of the highest and most powerful man in the state or empire.

Inscriptions and statues provided memoria – a reminder of this event, which was extremely important for the people in antiquity.

It was the same in the early 2nd century when Emperor Hadrian stopped there on his inspection trips in today’s Aydin.

In his honor, a statue and probably an inscription was created in the aftermath of this visit. The statue – or rather parts of it – have now been excavated under the direction of Professor Ali Yalçın. This also includes a well-preserved head of the emperor. More findings are still exspected.

It is worth mentioning that the parts of the statue were not found in one place, but in different places.

After the excavations are complete, all artifacts will be exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Aydin.

More information can be found in the article in the Hürriyet Daily News …

Roman emperor’s statue discovered in Aydın

Archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Alabanda in the western province of Aydın have brought to light the fragments of the statue of Roman Emperor Publius Aelius Traianus Hadrianus.

This article exists also in

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Newsflash

Two News about the Hittites

Hattusha and a Temple of the Hittites

Hittite capital Hattusha lures visitors

Hattusha was included in the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1986 due to the perfect protection of some structures and architectural communities in its ruins. (Photos: Alamy)

Ancient Hittite temple to be unearthed

Cuneiform tablets that tell about historical ties in Hittite civilization will be unearthed, says the head of the Kayalıpınar excavation team

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Newsflash

Bernini for over 2 millions

Rare Bernini drawing fetches record price at French auction

A rare drawing by the Italian 17th-century sculptor and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini sold for 1.9 million euros ($2.3 million) in France on March 20, the highest price ever paid for a drawing by the artist, the auction house said.

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