Different samples gave different results.

The debate about whether the skull was truly Upper Paleolithic — truly ancient in the deep prehistoric sense — or more recent continued.

Then came ancient DNA analysis.

And everything changed.

The Revolution of Ancient DNA

To understand why Zlatý kůň became one of the most scientifically important ancient humans ever found, you need to understand what modern ancient DNA analysis can reveal — and how extraordinary it is that it can reveal anything at all.

DNA is a fragile molecule.