Scientists have successfully sequenced the first complete genome of an ancient Egyptian man who lived approximately 4,500 years ago during the Old Kingdom period, coinciding with the construction of the earliest pyramids. The well-preserved skeleton, discovered in a sealed ceramic coffin in the Nile Valley, belonged to a pottery worker who likely lived into his 60s and suffered from arthritis. Genetic analysis reveals that about 80% of his ancestry originates from North Africa, while the remaining 20% traces back to regions in the Middle East, including Mesopotamia, located over 1,000 kilometers away. This finding provides the first direct genetic evidence of cross-cultural ties between ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, shedding new light on the rise of Egyptian civilization and potentially rewriting aspects of its history. The research, published in the journal Nature, marks a milestone nearly 40 years after initial attempts to extract DNA from Egyptian mummies and offers insights into the population dynamics of early civilizations in the Nile Valley and the Fertile Crescent.