DNA obtained from the remains of a man who lived in ancient Egypt around the time the first pyramids were built is providing evidence of the ties between two great cultures of the period, with a fifth of his genetic ancestry traced to Mesopotamia.

The oldest known Egyptian DNA sample, from a man who lived between 4,500 to 4,800 years ago, offers new insights into the potential ancestry of those who belonged to the enduring civilization.

Researchers have sequenced the genome of an ancient Egyptian who was buried in a pot nearly 5,000 years ago, about the time some of the oldest, and most famous, pyramids were built.