1
|
Scheib CL, Hui R, Rose AK, D'Atanasio E, Inskip SA, Dittmar J, Cessford C, Griffith SJ, Solnik A, Wiseman R, Neil B, Biers T, Harknett SJ, Sasso S, Biagini SA, Runfeldt G, Duhig C, Evans C, Metspalu M, Millett MJ, O'Connell TC, Robb JE, Kivisild T. Low Genetic Impact of the Roman Occupation of Britain in Rural Communities. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msae168. [PMID: 39268685 PMCID: PMC11393495 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msae168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2024] [Accepted: 08/07/2024] [Indexed: 09/17/2024] Open
Abstract
The Roman period saw the empire expand across Europe and the Mediterranean, including much of what is today Great Britain. While there is written evidence of high mobility into and out of Britain for administrators, traders, and the military, the impact of imperialism on local, rural population structure, kinship, and mobility is invisible in the textual record. The extent of genetic change that occurred in Britain during the Roman military occupation remains underexplored. Here, using genome-wide data from 52 ancient individuals from eight sites in Cambridgeshire covering the period of Roman occupation, we show low levels of genetic ancestry differentiation between Romano-British sites and indications of larger populations than in the Bronze Age and Neolithic. We find no evidence of long-distance migration from elsewhere in the Empire, though we do find one case of possible temporary mobility within a family unit during the Late Romano-British period. We also show that the present-day patterns of genetic ancestry composition in Britain emerged after the Roman period.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christiana L Scheib
- Estonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu Tartu 51010, Estonia
- St John's College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1TP, UK
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3ER, UK
| | - Ruoyun Hui
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3ER, UK
- Alan Turing Institute, British Library, London NW1 2DB, UK
| | - Alice K Rose
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3ER, UK
| | - Eugenia D'Atanasio
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, IBPM CNR, Rome 00185, Italy
| | - Sarah A Inskip
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3ER, UK
- School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Jenna Dittmar
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3ER, UK
| | - Craig Cessford
- Cambridge Archaeological Unit, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0DT, UK
| | - Samuel J Griffith
- Estonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu Tartu 51010, Estonia
| | - Anu Solnik
- Core Facility, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Tartu 51010, Estonia
| | - Rob Wiseman
- Core Facility, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Tartu 51010, Estonia
| | - Benjamin Neil
- Core Facility, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Tartu 51010, Estonia
| | - Trish Biers
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DZ, UK
| | | | - Stefania Sasso
- Estonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu Tartu 51010, Estonia
| | - Simone A Biagini
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF-CSIC), Departament de Medicina i Ciències de la Vida, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Corinne Duhig
- Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 9BB, UK
| | - Christopher Evans
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DZ, UK
| | - Mait Metspalu
- Estonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu Tartu 51010, Estonia
| | - Martin J Millett
- Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 9DA, UK
| | - Tamsin C O'Connell
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DZ, UK
| | - John E Robb
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DZ, UK
| | - Toomas Kivisild
- Estonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu Tartu 51010, Estonia
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3ER, UK
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Tian Y, Koncz I, Defant S, Giostra C, Vyas DN, Sołtysiak A, Pejrani Baricco L, Fetner R, Posth C, Brandt G, Bedini E, Modi A, Lari M, Vai S, Francalacci P, Fernandes R, Steinhof A, Pohl W, Caramelli D, Krause J, Izdebski A, Geary PJ, Veeramah KR. The role of emerging elites in the formation and development of communities after the fall of the Roman Empire. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2317868121. [PMID: 39159385 PMCID: PMC11388374 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2317868121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Elites played a pivotal role in the formation of post-Roman Europe on both macro- and microlevels during the Early Medieval period. History and archaeology have long focused on their description and identification based on written sources or through their archaeological record. We provide a different perspective on this topic by integrating paleogenomic, archaeological, and isotopic data to gain insights into the role of one such elite group in a Langobard period community near Collegno, Italy dated to the 6-8th centuries CE. Our analysis of 28 newly sequenced genomes together with 24 previously published ones combined with isotope (Sr, C, N) measurements revealed that this community was established by and organized around a network of biologically and socially related individuals likely composed of multiple elite families that over time developed into a single extended pedigree. The community also included individuals with diverse genetic ancestries, maintaining its diversity by integrating newcomers and groups in later stages of its existence. This study highlights how shifts in political power and migration impacted the formation and development of a small rural community within a key region of the former Western Roman Empire after its dissolution and the emergence of a new kingdom. Furthermore, it suggests that Early Medieval elites had the capacity to incorporate individuals from varied backgrounds and that these elites were the result of (political) agency rather than belonging to biologically homogeneous groups.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yijie Tian
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794
| | - István Koncz
- Department of Humanities, Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest 1088, Hungary
| | - Sarah Defant
- Department of History and Cultural Studies, Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
- Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena 07743, Germany
- Department of Philosophy and Humanities, Institute of Greek and Latin Languages and Literatures, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Caterina Giostra
- Department of History, Archaeology and Art History, Catholic University Milan, Milan 20103, Italy
| | - Deven N Vyas
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794
| | - Arkadiusz Sołtysiak
- Department of Bioarchaeology, Faculty of Archaeology, University of Warsaw, Warszawa 00-927, Poland
| | - Luisella Pejrani Baricco
- Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per la città metropolitana di Torino, Torino TO 10122, Italy
| | - Rafał Fetner
- Department of Bioarchaeology, Faculty of Archaeology, University of Warsaw, Warszawa 00-927, Poland
| | - Cosimo Posth
- Archaeo- and Palaeogenetics, Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen 72074, Germany
| | - Guido Brandt
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Elena Bedini
- Department of History, Archaeology and Art History, Catholic University Milan, Milan 20103, Italy
| | - Alessandra Modi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Firenze 12-50122, Italy
| | - Martina Lari
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Firenze 12-50122, Italy
| | - Stefania Vai
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Firenze 12-50122, Italy
| | - Paolo Francalacci
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Università di Cagliari, Cagliari 09126, Italy
| | - Ricardo Fernandes
- Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena 07743, Germany
- Department of Bioarchaeology, Faculty of Archaeology, University of Warsaw, Warszawa 00-927, Poland
- Arne Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Brno-střed 602 00, Czech Republic
- Climate Change and History Research Initiative, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08542
| | - Axel Steinhof
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena 07745, Germany
| | - Walter Pohl
- Institute for Medieval Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences; Institute for Austrian Historical Research, University of Vienna, Vienna 1020, Austria
| | - David Caramelli
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Firenze 12-50122, Italy
| | - Johannes Krause
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Adam Izdebski
- Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena 07743, Germany
- Institute of History, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Kraków 31-007, Poland
| | - Patrick J Geary
- School of Historical Studies, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ 08540
| | - Krishna R Veeramah
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Rodríguez-Varela R, Yaka R, Pochon Z, Sanchez-Pinto I, Solaun JL, Naidoo T, Guinet B, Pérez-Ramallo P, Lagerholm VK, de Anca Prado V, Valdiosera C, Krzewińska M, Herrasti L, Azkarate A, Götherström A. Five centuries of consanguinity, isolation, health, and conflict in Las Gobas: A Northern Medieval Iberian necropolis. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadp8625. [PMID: 39196943 PMCID: PMC11352919 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adp8625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/30/2024]
Abstract
Between the 8th and 11th centuries CE, the Iberian Peninsula underwent profound upheaval due to the Umayyad invasion against the Visigoths, resulting in population shifts and lasting demographic impacts. Our understanding of this period is hindered by limited written sources and few archaeogenetic studies. We analyzed 33 individuals from Las Gobas, a necropolis in northern Spain, spanning the 7th to 11th centuries. By combining archaeological and osteological data with kinship, metagenomics, and ancestry analyses, we investigate conflicts, health, and demography of these individuals. We reveal intricate family relationships and genetic continuity within a consanguineous population while also identifying several zoonoses indicative of close interactions with animals. Notably, one individual was infected with a variola virus phylogenetically clustering with the northern European variola complex between ~885 and 1000 CE. Last, we did not detect a significant increase of North African or Middle East ancestries over time since the Islamic conquest of Iberia, possibly because this community remained relatively isolated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Rodríguez-Varela
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Reyhan Yaka
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Zoé Pochon
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Iban Sanchez-Pinto
- Departamento de Geografía, Prehistoria y Arqueología, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
- GPAC, C. I. Micaela Portilla, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - José Luis Solaun
- Departamento de Geografía, Prehistoria y Arqueología, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
- GPAC, C. I. Micaela Portilla, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Thijessen Naidoo
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Ancient DNA Unit, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Benjamin Guinet
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Patxi Pérez-Ramallo
- Department of Archaeology and Cultural History, NTNU University Museum, Trondheim, Norway
- isoTROPIC Research Group, Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany
| | - Vendela Kempe Lagerholm
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Cristina Valdiosera
- Universidad de Burgos, Departamento de Historia, Geografía y Comunicaciones, Burgos, Spain
| | - Maja Krzewińska
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lourdes Herrasti
- Departamento de Antropología, Sociedad de Ciencias Aranzadi, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Agustín Azkarate
- Departamento de Geografía, Prehistoria y Arqueología, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
- GPAC, C. I. Micaela Portilla, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Anders Götherström
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Alaçamlı E, Naidoo T, Güler MN, Sağlıcan E, Aktürk Ş, Mapelli I, Vural KB, Somel M, Malmström H, Günther T. READv2: advanced and user-friendly detection of biological relatedness in archaeogenomics. Genome Biol 2024; 25:216. [PMID: 39135108 PMCID: PMC11318251 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-024-03350-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The advent of genome-wide ancient DNA analysis has revolutionized our understanding of prehistoric societies. However, studying biological relatedness in these groups requires tailored approaches due to the challenges of analyzing ancient DNA. READv2, an optimized Python3 implementation of the most widely used tool for this purpose, addresses these challenges while surpassing its predecessor in speed and accuracy. For sufficient amounts of data, it can classify up to third-degree relatedness and differentiate between the two types of first-degree relatedness, full siblings and parent-offspring. READv2 enables user-friendly, efficient, and nuanced analysis of biological relatedness, facilitating a deeper understanding of past social structures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Erkin Alaçamlı
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Present Address: Estonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Thijessen Naidoo
- Ancient DNA Unit, Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Merve N Güler
- Department of Health Informatics, Graduate School of Informatics, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Ekin Sağlıcan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Şevval Aktürk
- Department of Bioinformatics, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Igor Mapelli
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Kıvılcım Başak Vural
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Mehmet Somel
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Helena Malmström
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Torsten Günther
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
- Ancient DNA Unit, Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Gretzinger J, Schmitt F, Mötsch A, Carlhoff S, Lamnidis TC, Huang Y, Ringbauer H, Knipper C, Francken M, Mandt F, Hansen L, Freund C, Posth C, Rathmann H, Harvati K, Wieland G, Granehäll L, Maixner F, Zink A, Schier W, Krausse D, Krause J, Schiffels S. Evidence for dynastic succession among early Celtic elites in Central Europe. Nat Hum Behav 2024; 8:1467-1480. [PMID: 38831077 PMCID: PMC11343710 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-024-01888-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
The early Iron Age (800 to 450 BCE) in France, Germany and Switzerland, known as the 'West-Hallstattkreis', stands out as featuring the earliest evidence for supra-regional organization north of the Alps. Often referred to as 'early Celtic', suggesting tentative connections to later cultural phenomena, its societal and population structure remain enigmatic. Here we present genomic and isotope data from 31 individuals from this context in southern Germany, dating between 616 and 200 BCE. We identify multiple biologically related groups spanning three elite burials as far as 100 km apart, supported by trans-regional individual mobility inferred from isotope data. These include a close biological relationship between two of the richest burial mounds of the Hallstatt culture. Bayesian modelling points to an avuncular relationship between the two individuals, which may suggest a practice of matrilineal dynastic succession in early Celtic elites. We show that their ancestry is shared on a broad geographic scale from Iberia throughout Central-Eastern Europe, undergoing a decline after the late Iron Age (450 BCE to ~50 CE).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joscha Gretzinger
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Felicitas Schmitt
- Landesamt für Denkmalpflege im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart, Esslingen, Germany
| | - Angela Mötsch
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Selina Carlhoff
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Yilei Huang
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Harald Ringbauer
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Corina Knipper
- Curt Engelhorn Zentrum Archäometrie gGmbH, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Michael Francken
- Landesamt für Denkmalpflege im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart, Esslingen, Germany
| | - Franziska Mandt
- Landesamt für Denkmalpflege im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart, Esslingen, Germany
| | - Leif Hansen
- Landesamt für Denkmalpflege im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart, Esslingen, Germany
| | - Cäcilia Freund
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Cosimo Posth
- Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hannes Rathmann
- Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Katerina Harvati
- Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- DFG Center for Advanced Studies in the Humanities 'Words, Bones, Genes, Tools: Tracking Linguistic, Cultural and Biological Trajectories of the Human Past', Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Günther Wieland
- Landesamt für Denkmalpflege im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart, Esslingen, Germany
| | - Lena Granehäll
- Institute for Mummy Studies, EURAC Research, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Frank Maixner
- Institute for Mummy Studies, EURAC Research, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Albert Zink
- Institute for Mummy Studies, EURAC Research, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Wolfram Schier
- Institut für Prähistorische Archäologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dirk Krausse
- Landesamt für Denkmalpflege im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart, Esslingen, Germany.
| | - Johannes Krause
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Stephan Schiffels
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Arzelier A, De Belvalet H, Pemonge MH, Garberi P, Binder D, Duday H, Deguilloux MF, Pruvost M. Ancient DNA sheds light on the funerary practices of late Neolithic collective burial in southern France. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:rspb20241215. [PMID: 39191285 PMCID: PMC11349438 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.1215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2024] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024] Open
Abstract
The Aven de la Boucle (Corconne, Gard, southern France) is a karst shaft used as a collective burial between 3600 and 2800 cal BCE. The site encompasses the skeletal remains of approximately 75 individuals comprising a large majority of adult individuals, represented by scattered and commingled remains. To date, few studies have explored the potential of ancient DNA to tackle the documentation of Neolithic collective burials, and the funerary selection rules within such structures remain largely debated. In this study, we combine genomic analysis of 37 individuals with archaeo-anthropological data and Bayesian modelling of radiocarbon dates. Through this multidisciplinary approach, we aim to characterize the identity of the deceased and their relationships, as well as untangle the genetic diversity and funerary dynamics of this community. Genomic results identify 76% of male Neolithic individuals, suggesting a marked sex-biased selection. Available data emphasize the importance of biological relatedness and a male-mediated transmission of social status, as the affiliation to a specific male-lineage appears as a preponderant selection factor. The genomic results argue in favour of 'continuous' deposits between 3600 and 2800 BCE, carried out by the same community, despite cultural changes reflected by the ceramic material.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Arzelier
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, De la Préhistoire à l’Actuel: Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie (PACEA UMR 5199), Pessac Cedex33615, France
| | - Harmony De Belvalet
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, De la Préhistoire à l’Actuel: Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie (PACEA UMR 5199), Pessac Cedex33615, France
| | - Marie-Hélène Pemonge
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, De la Préhistoire à l’Actuel: Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie (PACEA UMR 5199), Pessac Cedex33615, France
| | - Pauline Garberi
- Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Cultures, Environnements. Préhistoire, Antiquité, Moyen-Âge (CEPAM UMR 7264), Nice06300, France
| | - Didier Binder
- Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Cultures, Environnements. Préhistoire, Antiquité, Moyen-Âge (CEPAM UMR 7264), Nice06300, France
| | - Henri Duday
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, De la Préhistoire à l’Actuel: Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie (PACEA UMR 5199), Pessac Cedex33615, France
| | - Marie-France Deguilloux
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, De la Préhistoire à l’Actuel: Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie (PACEA UMR 5199), Pessac Cedex33615, France
| | - Mélanie Pruvost
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, De la Préhistoire à l’Actuel: Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie (PACEA UMR 5199), Pessac Cedex33615, France
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Seersholm FV, Sjögren KG, Koelman J, Blank M, Svensson EM, Staring J, Fraser M, Pinotti T, McColl H, Gaunitz C, Ruiz-Bedoya T, Granehäll L, Villegas-Ramirez B, Fischer A, Price TD, Allentoft ME, Iversen AKN, Axelsson T, Ahlström T, Götherström A, Storå J, Kristiansen K, Willerslev E, Jakobsson M, Malmström H, Sikora M. Repeated plague infections across six generations of Neolithic Farmers. Nature 2024; 632:114-121. [PMID: 38987589 PMCID: PMC11291285 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07651-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
In the period between 5,300 and 4,900 calibrated years before present (cal. BP), populations across large parts of Europe underwent a period of demographic decline1,2. However, the cause of this so-called Neolithic decline is still debated. Some argue for an agricultural crisis resulting in the decline3, others for the spread of an early form of plague4. Here we use population-scale ancient genomics to infer ancestry, social structure and pathogen infection in 108 Scandinavian Neolithic individuals from eight megalithic graves and a stone cist. We find that the Neolithic plague was widespread, detected in at least 17% of the sampled population and across large geographical distances. We demonstrate that the disease spread within the Neolithic community in three distinct infection events within a period of around 120 years. Variant graph-based pan-genomics shows that the Neolithic plague genomes retained ancestral genomic variation present in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, including virulence factors associated with disease outcomes. In addition, we reconstruct four multigeneration pedigrees, the largest of which consists of 38 individuals spanning six generations, showing a patrilineal social organization. Lastly, we document direct genomic evidence for Neolithic female exogamy in a woman buried in a different megalithic tomb than her brothers. Taken together, our findings provide a detailed reconstruction of plague spread within a large patrilineal kinship group and identify multiple plague infections in a population dated to the beginning of the Neolithic decline.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Frederik Valeur Seersholm
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Karl-Göran Sjögren
- Department of Historical Studies, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Julia Koelman
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Malou Blank
- Department of Historical Studies, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Emma M Svensson
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Magdalena Fraser
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Thomaz Pinotti
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Evolução Molecular (LBEM), Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Hugh McColl
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Charleen Gaunitz
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Tatiana Ruiz-Bedoya
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lena Granehäll
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Institute for Mummy Studies Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy
| | | | | | - T Douglas Price
- Department of Historical Studies, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Morten E Allentoft
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Astrid K N Iversen
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Tony Axelsson
- Department of Historical Studies, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Torbjörn Ahlström
- Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Anders Götherström
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm University and the Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jan Storå
- Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kristian Kristiansen
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Historical Studies, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Eske Willerslev
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Mattias Jakobsson
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Helena Malmström
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Martin Sikora
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Psonis N, Vassou D, Nafplioti A, Tabakaki E, Pavlidis P, Stamatakis A, Poulakakis N. Identification of the 18 World War II executed citizens of Adele, Rethymnon, Crete using an ancient DNA approach and low coverage genomes. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2024; 71:103060. [PMID: 38796876 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2024.103060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
In the Battle of Crete during the World War II occupation of Greece, the German forces faced substantial civilian resistance. To retribute the numerous German losses, a series of mass executions took place in numerous places in Crete; a common practice reported from Greece and elsewhere. In Adele, a village in the regional unit of Rethymnon, 18 male civilians were executed and buried in a burial pit at the Sarakina site. In this study, the first one conducted for a conflict that occurred in Greece, we identified for humanitarian purposes the 18 skulls of the Sarakina victims, following a request from the local community of Adele. The molecular identification of historical human remains via ancient DNA approaches and low coverage whole genome sequencing has only recently been introduced. Here, we performed genome skimming on the living relatives of the victims, as well as high throughput historical DNA analysis on the skulls to infer the kinship degrees among the victims via genetic relatedness analyses. We also conducted targeted anthropological analysis to successfully complete the identification of all Sarakina victims. We demonstrate that our methodological approach constitutes a potentially highly informative forensic tool to identify war victims. It can hence be applied to analogous studies on degraded DNA, thus, paving the path for systematic war victim identification in Greece and beyond.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaos Psonis
- Ancient DNA Lab, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB), Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH), Irakleio 70013, Greece.
| | - Despoina Vassou
- Ancient DNA Lab, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB), Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH), Irakleio 70013, Greece
| | - Argyro Nafplioti
- Ancient DNA Lab, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB), Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH), Irakleio 70013, Greece
| | - Eugenia Tabakaki
- Ancient DNA Lab, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB), Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH), Irakleio 70013, Greece
| | - Pavlos Pavlidis
- Institute of Computer Science (ICS), Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH), Irakleio 70013, Greece; Department of Biology, School of Sciences and Engineering, University of Crete, Irakleio 70013, Greece
| | - Alexandros Stamatakis
- Institute of Computer Science (ICS), Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH), Irakleio 70013, Greece; Computational Molecular Evolution Group, Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies, Heidelberg 69118, Germany; Institute for Theoretical Informatics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe 76131, Germany
| | - Nikos Poulakakis
- Ancient DNA Lab, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB), Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH), Irakleio 70013, Greece; Natural History Museum of Crete, School of Sciences and Engineering, University of Crete, Irakleio 71409, Greece; Department of Biology, School of Sciences and Engineering, University of Crete, Irakleio 70013, Greece
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Aktürk Ş, Mapelli I, Güler MN, Gürün K, Katırcıoğlu B, Vural KB, Sağlıcan E, Çetin M, Yaka R, Sürer E, Atağ G, Çokoğlu SS, Sevkar A, Altınışık NE, Koptekin D, Somel M. Benchmarking kinship estimation tools for ancient genomes using pedigree simulations. Mol Ecol Resour 2024; 24:e13960. [PMID: 38676702 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024]
Abstract
There is growing interest in uncovering genetic kinship patterns in past societies using low-coverage palaeogenomes. Here, we benchmark four tools for kinship estimation with such data: lcMLkin, NgsRelate, KIN, and READ, which differ in their input, IBD estimation methods, and statistical approaches. We used pedigree and ancient genome sequence simulations to evaluate these tools when only a limited number (1 to 50 K, with minor allele frequency ≥0.01) of shared SNPs are available. The performance of all four tools was comparable using ≥20 K SNPs. We found that first-degree related pairs can be accurately classified even with 1 K SNPs, with 85% F1 scores using READ and 96% using NgsRelate or lcMLkin. Distinguishing third-degree relatives from unrelated pairs or second-degree relatives was also possible with high accuracy (F1 > 90%) with 5 K SNPs using NgsRelate and lcMLkin, while READ and KIN showed lower success (69 and 79% respectively). Meanwhile, noise in population allele frequencies and inbreeding (first-cousin mating) led to deviations in kinship coefficients, with different sensitivities across tools. We conclude that using multiple tools in parallel might be an effective approach to achieve robust estimates on ultra-low-coverage genomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Şevval Aktürk
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Igor Mapelli
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Merve N Güler
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Kanat Gürün
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Büşra Katırcıoğlu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Kıvılcım Başak Vural
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Ekin Sağlıcan
- Department of Health Informatics, Graduate School of Informatics, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Mehmet Çetin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Reyhan Yaka
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Elif Sürer
- Department of Modeling and Simulation, Graduate School of Informatics, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Gözde Atağ
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Sevim Seda Çokoğlu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Arda Sevkar
- Department of Anthropology, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - N Ezgi Altınışık
- Department of Anthropology, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Dilek Koptekin
- Department of Health Informatics, Graduate School of Informatics, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Mehmet Somel
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Laffranchi Z, Zingale S, Indra L, Coia V, Salazar García DC, Paladin A, Kaeser MA, Delley G, Szidat S, Lösch S, Zink A, Milella M. Geographic origin, ancestry, and death circumstances at the Cornaux/Les Sauges Iron Age bridge, Switzerland. Sci Rep 2024; 14:12180. [PMID: 38886480 PMCID: PMC11183204 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-62524-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Cornaux/Les Sauges (Switzerland, Late Iron Age) revealed remnants of a wooden bridge, artifacts, and human and animal skeletal remains. The relationship between the collapsed structure and the skeletal material, whether it indicates a potential accident or cultural practices, remains elusive. We evaluate the most plausible scenario for Cornaux based on osteological, taphonomic, isotopic, and paleogenomic analysis of the recovered individuals. The latter amount to at least 20 individuals, mostly adult males. Perimortem lesions include only blunt force traumas. Radiocarbon data fall between the 3rd and 1st c. BCE, although in some cases predating available dendrochronological estimates from the bridge. Isotopic data highlight five to eight nonlocals. No close genetic relatedness links the analyzed skeletons. Paleogenomic results, the first for Iron Age Switzerland, point to a genetic affinity with other Central and Western European Iron Age groups. The type of skeletal lesions supports an accidental event as the more plausible explanation. Radiocarbon data and the demographic structure of the sample may suggest a sequence of different events possibly including executions and/or sacrifices. Isotopic and paleogenomic data, while not favoring one scenario over the other, do support earlier interpretations of the last centuries BCE in Europe as a dynamic period from a biocultural perspective.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zita Laffranchi
- Department of Physical Anthropology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | | | - Lara Indra
- Department of Physical Anthropology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Valentina Coia
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Domingo C Salazar García
- Departament de Prehistòria, Arqueologia i Història Antiga, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Alice Paladin
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy
| | | | | | - Sönke Szidat
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sandra Lösch
- Department of Physical Anthropology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Albert Zink
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy
- Ludwig. Maximilians- Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Marco Milella
- Department of Physical Anthropology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Childebayeva A, Fricke F, Rohrlach AB, Huang L, Schiffels S, Vesakoski O, Mannermaa K, Semerau L, Aron F, Solodovnikov K, Rykun M, Moiseyev V, Khartanovich V, Kovtun I, Krause J, Kuzminykh S, Haak W. Bronze age Northern Eurasian genetics in the context of development of metallurgy and Siberian ancestry. Commun Biol 2024; 7:723. [PMID: 38862782 PMCID: PMC11166947 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06343-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The Eurasian Bronze Age (BA) has been described as a period of substantial human migrations, the emergence of pastoralism, horse domestication, and development of metallurgy. This study focuses on two north Eurasian sites sharing Siberian genetic ancestry. One of the sites, Rostovka, is associated with the Seima-Turbino (ST) phenomenon (~2200-1900 BCE) that is characterized by elaborate metallurgical objects found throughout Northern Eurasia. The genetic profiles of Rostovka individuals vary widely along the forest-tundra Siberian genetic cline represented by many modern Uralic-speaking populations, and the genetic heterogeneity observed is consistent with the current understanding of the ST being a transcultural phenomenon. Individuals from the second site, Bolshoy Oleni Ostrov in Kola, in comparison form a tighter cluster on the Siberian ancestry cline. We further explore this Siberian ancestry profile and assess the role of the ST phenomenon and other contemporaneous BA cultures in the spread of Uralic languages and Siberian ancestry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ainash Childebayeva
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany.
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
- Department of Anthropology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66044, USA.
| | - Fabian Fricke
- German Archaeological Institute, Eurasia Department, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Adam Benjamin Rohrlach
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany
- School of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Lei Huang
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stephan Schiffels
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Outi Vesakoski
- Department of Finnish and Finno-Ugric Languages, University of Turku, Turku, 20014, Finland
| | - Kristiina Mannermaa
- Department of Cultures, University of Helsinki, Yliopistonkatu 4, 00100, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Lena Semerau
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Franziska Aron
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, 07745, Germany
| | - Konstantin Solodovnikov
- Institute of Problems of Northern Development, Tyumen Scientific Center of the Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Tyumen, 625008, Russia
| | - Marina Rykun
- Department of Anthropology and Ethnology, National Research Tomsk State University, Tomsk, 634050, Russia
| | - Vyacheslav Moiseyev
- Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera), Russian Academy of Sciences, University Embankment, 3, Saint Petersburg, 199034, Russia
| | - Valery Khartanovich
- Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera), Russian Academy of Sciences, University Embankment, 3, Saint Petersburg, 199034, Russia
| | - Igor Kovtun
- Igor V. Kovtun, Independent Researcher, Kemerovo, 650000, Russia
| | - Johannes Krause
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sergey Kuzminykh
- Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Archaeology, Laboratory of Natural Scientific Methods, Moscow, 117292, Russia
| | - Wolfgang Haak
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Gnecchi-Ruscone GA, Rácz Z, Samu L, Szeniczey T, Faragó N, Knipper C, Friedrich R, Zlámalová D, Traverso L, Liccardo S, Wabnitz S, Popli D, Wang K, Radzeviciute R, Gulyás B, Koncz I, Balogh C, Lezsák GM, Mácsai V, Bunbury MME, Spekker O, le Roux P, Szécsényi-Nagy A, Mende BG, Colleran H, Hajdu T, Geary P, Pohl W, Vida T, Krause J, Hofmanová Z. Network of large pedigrees reveals social practices of Avar communities. Nature 2024; 629:376-383. [PMID: 38658749 PMCID: PMC11078744 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07312-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
From AD 567-568, at the onset of the Avar period, populations from the Eurasian Steppe settled in the Carpathian Basin for approximately 250 years1. Extensive sampling for archaeogenomics (424 individuals) and isotopes, combined with archaeological, anthropological and historical contextualization of four Avar-period cemeteries, allowed for a detailed description of the genomic structure of these communities and their kinship and social practices. We present a set of large pedigrees, reconstructed using ancient DNA, spanning nine generations and comprising around 300 individuals. We uncover a strict patrilineal kinship system, in which patrilocality and female exogamy were the norm and multiple reproductive partnering and levirate unions were common. The absence of consanguinity indicates that this society maintained a detailed memory of ancestry over generations. These kinship practices correspond with previous evidence from historical sources and anthropological research on Eurasian Steppe societies2. Network analyses of identity-by-descent DNA connections suggest that social cohesion between communities was maintained via female exogamy. Finally, despite the absence of major ancestry shifts, the level of resolution of our analyses allowed us to detect genetic discontinuity caused by the replacement of a community at one of the sites. This was paralleled with changes in the archaeological record and was probably a result of local political realignment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Zsófia Rácz
- Institute of Archaeological Sciences, ELTE - Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Levente Samu
- Institute of Archaeological Sciences, ELTE - Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Tamás Szeniczey
- Department of Biological Anthropology, ELTE - Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Norbert Faragó
- Institute of Archaeological Sciences, ELTE - Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Corina Knipper
- Curt Engelhorn Center for Archaeometry gGmbH, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Ronny Friedrich
- Curt Engelhorn Center for Archaeometry gGmbH, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Denisa Zlámalová
- Department of Archaeology and Museology, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - Luca Traverso
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Salvatore Liccardo
- Department of History, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Institute for Medieval Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sandra Wabnitz
- Department of History, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Institute for Medieval Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Divyaratan Popli
- Department of Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ke Wang
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- MOE Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Rita Radzeviciute
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - István Koncz
- Institute of Archaeological Sciences, ELTE - Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Csilla Balogh
- Department of Art History, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Gabriella M Lezsák
- Institute of History, HUN-REN Research Centre for the Humanities, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Viktor Mácsai
- Institute of Archaeological Sciences, ELTE - Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Magdalena M E Bunbury
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, College of Arts, Society and Education, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia
| | - Olga Spekker
- Institute of Archaeological Sciences, ELTE - Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Biological Anthropology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Petrus le Roux
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Anna Szécsényi-Nagy
- Institute of Archaeogenomics, HUN-REN Research Centre for the Humanities, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Balázs Gusztáv Mende
- Institute of Archaeogenomics, HUN-REN Research Centre for the Humanities, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Heidi Colleran
- BirthRites Lise Meitner Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tamás Hajdu
- Department of Biological Anthropology, ELTE - Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Walter Pohl
- Department of History, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Institute for Medieval Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tivadar Vida
- Institute of Archaeological Sciences, ELTE - Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
- Institute of Archaeology, HUN-REN Research Centre for the Humanities, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Johannes Krause
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Zuzana Hofmanová
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- Department of Archaeology and Museology, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Simões LG, Peyroteo-Stjerna R, Marchand G, Bernhardsson C, Vialet A, Chetty D, Alaçamlı E, Edlund H, Bouquin D, Dina C, Garmond N, Günther T, Jakobsson M. Genomic ancestry and social dynamics of the last hunter-gatherers of Atlantic France. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2310545121. [PMID: 38408241 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2310545121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Since the early Holocene, western and central Europe was inhabited by a genetically distinct group of Western Hunter-Gatherers (WHGs). This group was eventually replaced and assimilated by the incoming Neolithic farmers. The western Atlantic façade was home to some of the last Mesolithic sites of mainland Europe, represented by the iconic open-air sites at Hoedic and Téviec in southern Brittany, France. These sites are known for the unusually well-preserved and rich burials. Genomic studies of Mesolithic European hunter-gatherers have been limited to single or a few individuals per site and our understanding of the social dynamics of the last Mesolithic hunter-gatherers of Europe and their interactions with incoming farmers is limited. We sequenced and analyzed the complete genomes of 10 individuals from the Late Mesolithic sites of Hoedic, Téviec, and Champigny, in France, four of which sequenced to between 23- and 8-times genome coverage. The analysis of genomic, chronological and dietary data revealed that the Late Mesolithic populations in Brittany maintained distinct social units within a network of exchanging mates. This resulted in low intra-group biological relatedness that prevented consanguineous mating, despite the small population size of the Late Mesolithic groups. We found no genetic ancestry from Neolithic farmers in the analyzed hunter-gatherers, even though some of them may have coexisted with the first farming groups in neighboring regions. Hence, contrary to previous conclusions based on stable isotope data from the same sites, the Late Mesolithic forager community was limited in mate-exchange to neighboring hunter-gatherer groups, to the exclusion of Neolithic farmers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luciana G Simões
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Rita Peyroteo-Stjerna
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Historical Studies, University of Gothenburg, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Cultural Sciences, Linnaeus University, 351 95 Växjö, Sweden
- Centre for Archaeology, School of Arts and Humanities, University of Lisbon, 1600-214 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Grégor Marchand
- Centre de Recherche en Archéologie, Archéosciences, Histoire, Université de Rennes, Rennes, CNRS 35065, France
| | - Carolina Bernhardsson
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Amélie Vialet
- Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, UMR7194, Université Perpignan Via Domitia, Department "Homme et Environnement", Paris 75013, France
| | - Darshan Chetty
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843
| | - Erkin Alaçamlı
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Hanna Edlund
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
- Forensic Section, Regional Investigation Unit, Swedish Police Authority, 753 32 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Denis Bouquin
- UMR 6298, ARTEHIS, Université de Bourgogne-CNRS, Bâtiment Sciences Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
- Service Archéologique du Grand Reims, 51100 Reims, France
| | - Christian Dina
- Nantes Université, CNRS, INSERM, l'institut du thorax, F-44000 Nantes, France
| | | | - Torsten Günther
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mattias Jakobsson
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Laffranchi Z, Zingale S, Tecchiati U, Amato A, Coia V, Paladin A, Salzani L, Thompson SR, Bersani M, Dori I, Szidat S, Lösch S, Ryan-Despraz J, Arenz G, Zink A, Milella M. "Until death do us part". A multidisciplinary study on human- Animal co- burials from the Late Iron Age necropolis of Seminario Vescovile in Verona (Northern Italy, 3rd-1st c. BCE). PLoS One 2024; 19:e0293434. [PMID: 38354185 PMCID: PMC10866530 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Animal remains are a common find in prehistoric and protohistoric funerary contexts. While taphonomic and osteological data provide insights about the proximate (depositional) factors responsible for these findings, the ultimate cultural causes leading to this observed mortuary behavior are obscured by the opacity of the archaeological record and the lack of written sources. Here, we apply an interdisciplinary suite of analytical approaches (zooarchaeological, anthropological, archaeological, paleogenetic, and isotopic) to explore the funerary deposition of animal remains and the nature of joint human-animal burials at Seminario Vescovile (Verona, Northern Italy 3rd-1st c. BCE). This context, culturally attributed to the Cenomane culture, features 161 inhumations, of which only 16 included animal remains in the form of full skeletons, isolated skeletal parts, or food offerings. Of these, four are of particular interest as they contain either horses (Equus caballus) or dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)-animals that did not play a dietary role. Analyses show no demographic, dietary, funerary similarities, or genetic relatedness between individuals buried with animals. Isotopic data from two analyzed dogs suggest differing management strategies for these animals, possibly linked to economic and/or ritual factors. Overall, our results point to the unsuitability of simple, straightforward explanations for the observed funerary variability. At the same time, they connect the evidence from Seminario Vescovile with documented Transalpine cultural traditions possibly influenced by local and Roman customs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zita Laffranchi
- Department of Physical Anthropology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | | | - Umberto Tecchiati
- Dipartimento di Beni Culturali e Ambientali, PrEcLab—Laboratorio di Preistoria, Protostoria ed Ecologia Preistorica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Alfonsina Amato
- Dipartimento di Beni Culturali e Ambientali, PrEcLab—Laboratorio di Preistoria, Protostoria ed Ecologia Preistorica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Valentina Coia
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Alice Paladin
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Luciano Salzani
- Ex-Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici del Veneto, Settore territorio, Sede di Padova-Nucleo di Verona, Padova, Italy
| | | | - Marzia Bersani
- Thompson Simon scavi e rilevamenti archeologici, Verona, Italy
| | - Irene Dori
- Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per le province di Verona Rovigo e Vicenza, Verona, Italy
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Firenze, Italy
| | - Sönke Szidat
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sandra Lösch
- Department of Physical Anthropology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jessica Ryan-Despraz
- Department of Physical Anthropology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Gabriele Arenz
- Department of Physical Anthropology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Albert Zink
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Marco Milella
- Department of Physical Anthropology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Ringbauer H, Huang Y, Akbari A, Mallick S, Olalde I, Patterson N, Reich D. Accurate detection of identity-by-descent segments in human ancient DNA. Nat Genet 2024; 56:143-151. [PMID: 38123640 PMCID: PMC10786714 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01582-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Long DNA segments shared between two individuals, known as identity-by-descent (IBD), reveal recent genealogical connections. Here we introduce ancIBD, a method for identifying IBD segments in ancient human DNA (aDNA) using a hidden Markov model and imputed genotype probabilities. We demonstrate that ancIBD accurately identifies IBD segments >8 cM for aDNA data with an average depth of >0.25× for whole-genome sequencing or >1× for 1240k single nucleotide polymorphism capture data. Applying ancIBD to 4,248 ancient Eurasian individuals, we identify relatives up to the sixth degree and genealogical connections between archaeological groups. Notably, we reveal long IBD sharing between Corded Ware and Yamnaya groups, indicating that the Yamnaya herders of the Pontic-Caspian Steppe and the Steppe-related ancestry in various European Corded Ware groups share substantial co-ancestry within only a few hundred years. These results show that detecting IBD segments can generate powerful insights into the growing aDNA record, both on a small scale relevant to life stories and on a large scale relevant to major cultural-historical events.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Harald Ringbauer
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Yilei Huang
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Bioinformatics Group, Institute of Computer Science, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ali Akbari
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Swapan Mallick
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Iñigo Olalde
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- BIOMICs Research Group, University of the Basque Country, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
- Ikerbasque-Basque Foundation of Science, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Nick Patterson
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - David Reich
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Carlhoff S, Kutanan W, Rohrlach AB, Posth C, Stoneking M, Nägele K, Shoocongdej R, Krause J. Genomic portrait and relatedness patterns of the Iron Age Log Coffin culture in northwestern Thailand. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8527. [PMID: 38135688 PMCID: PMC10746721 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44328-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The Iron Age of highland Pang Mapha, northwestern Thailand, is characterised by a mortuary practice known as Log Coffin culture. Dating between 2300 and 1000 years ago, large coffins carved from individual teak trees have been discovered in over 40 caves and rock shelters. While previous studies focussed on the cultural development of the Log Coffin-associated sites, the origins of the practice, connections with other wooden coffin-using groups in Southeast Asia, and social structure within the region remain understudied. Here, we present genome-wide data from 33 individuals from five Log Coffin culture sites to study genetic ancestry profiles and genetic interconnectedness. The Log Coffin-associated genomes can be modelled as an admixture between Hòabìnhian hunter-gatherer-, Yangtze River farmer-, and Yellow River farmer-related ancestry. This indicates different influence spheres from Bronze and Iron Age individuals from northeastern Thailand as reflected by cultural practices. Our analyses also identify close genetic relationships within the sites and more distant connections between sites in the same and different river valleys. In combination with high mitochondrial haplogroup diversity and genome-wide homogeneity, the Log Coffin-associated groups from northwestern Thailand seem to have been a large, well-connected community, where genetic relatedness played a significant role in the mortuary ritual.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Selina Carlhoff
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Wibhu Kutanan
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand
| | - Adam B Rohrlach
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- School of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Cosimo Posth
- Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Archaeo- and Palaeogenetics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Mark Stoneking
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Kathrin Nägele
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Rasmi Shoocongdej
- Department of Archaeology, Silpakorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
- The Prehistoric Population and Cultural Dynamics in Highland Pang Mapha Project, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, Bangkok, Thailand.
| | - Johannes Krause
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Coia V, Paladin A, Zingale S, Wurst C, Croze M, Maixner F, Zink A. Ancestry and kinship in a Late Antiquity-Early Middle Ages cemetery in the Eastern Italian Alps. iScience 2023; 26:108215. [PMID: 37953960 PMCID: PMC10637928 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
In South Tyrol (Eastern Italian Alps), during Late Antiquity-Early Middle Ages, archeological records indicate cultural hybridization among alpine groups and peoples of various origin. Using paleogenomics, we reconstructed the ancestry of 20 individuals (4th-7th cent. AD) from a cemetery to analyze whether they had heterogeneous or homogeneous ancestry and to study their social organization. The results revealed a primary genetic ancestry from southern Europe and additional ancestries from south-western, western, and northern Europe, suggesting that cultural hybridization was accompanied by complex genetic admixture. Kinship analyses found no genetic relatedness between the only two individuals buried with grave goods. Instead, a father-son pair was discovered in one multiple grave, together with unrelated individuals and one possible non-local female. These genetic findings indicate the presence of a high social status familia, which is supported by the cultural materials and the proximity of the grave to the most sacred area of the church.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Coia
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Alice Paladin
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Stefania Zingale
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Christina Wurst
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Myriam Croze
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Frank Maixner
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Albert Zink
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Zedda N, Meheux K, Blöcher J, Diekmann Y, Gorelik AV, Kalle M, Klein K, Titze AL, Winkelbach L, Naish E, Brou L, Valotteau F, Le Brun-Ricalens F, Burger J, Brami M. Biological and substitute parents in Beaker period adult-child graves. Sci Rep 2023; 13:18765. [PMID: 37907573 PMCID: PMC10618162 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-45612-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Joint inhumations of adults and children are an intriguing aspect of the shift from collective to single burial rites in third millennium BC Western Eurasia. Here, we revisit two exceptional Beaker period adult-child graves using ancient DNA: Altwies in Luxembourg and Dunstable Downs in Britain. Ancestry modelling and patterns of shared IBD segments between the individuals examined, and contemporary genomes from Central and Northwest Europe, highlight the continental connections of British Beakers. Although simultaneous burials may involve individuals with no social or biological ties, we present evidence that close blood relations played a role in shaping third millennium BC social systems and burial practices, for example a biological mother and her son buried together at Altwies. Extended family, such as a paternal aunt at Dunstable Downs, could also act as 'substitute parents' in the grave. Hypotheses are explored to explain such simultaneous inhumations. Whilst intercommunity violence, infectious disease and epidemics may be considered as explanations, they fail to account for both the specific, codified nature of this particular form of inhumation, and its pervasiveness, as evidenced by a representative sample of 131 adult-child graves from 88 sites across Eurasia, all dating to the third and second millennia BC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicoletta Zedda
- Palaeogenetics Group, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Katie Meheux
- Institute of Archaeology Library, LCCOS, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jens Blöcher
- Palaeogenetics Group, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Yoan Diekmann
- Palaeogenetics Group, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Alexander V Gorelik
- Vor- Und Frühgeschichtliche Archäologie, Institut Für Altertumswissenschaften, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Martin Kalle
- Vor- Und Frühgeschichtliche Archäologie, Institut Für Altertumswissenschaften, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Kevin Klein
- Vor- Und Frühgeschichtliche Archäologie, Institut Für Altertumswissenschaften, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Anna-Lena Titze
- Palaeogenetics Group, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Laura Winkelbach
- Palaeogenetics Group, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | | | - Laurent Brou
- Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques (INRA), Bertrange, Luxembourg
| | - François Valotteau
- Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques (INRA), Bertrange, Luxembourg
| | | | - Joachim Burger
- Palaeogenetics Group, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Maxime Brami
- Palaeogenetics Group, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Blöcher J, Brami M, Feinauer IS, Stolarczyk E, Diekmann Y, Vetterdietz L, Karapetian M, Winkelbach L, Kokot V, Vallini L, Stobbe A, Haak W, Papageorgopoulou C, Krause R, Sharapova S, Burger J. Descent, marriage, and residence practices of a 3,800-year-old pastoral community in Central Eurasia. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2303574120. [PMID: 37603728 PMCID: PMC10483636 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2303574120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of prehistoric societal organization at the family level is still limited. Here, we generated genome data from 32 individuals from an approximately 3,800-y-old burial mound attributed to the Bronze Age Srubnaya-Alakul cultural tradition at the site of Nepluyevsky, located in the Southern Ural region of Central Eurasia. We found that life expectancy was generally very low, with adult males living on average 8 y longer than females. A total of 35 first-degree, 40 second-degree, and 48 third-degree biological relationships connected 23 of the studied individuals, allowing us to propose a family tree spanning three generations with six brothers at its center. The oldest of these brothers had eight children with two women and the most children overall, whereas the other relationships were monogamous. Notably, related female children above the age of five were completely absent from the site, and adult females were more genetically diverse than males. These results suggest that biological relationships between male siblings played a structural role in society and that descent group membership was based on patrilineality. Women originated from a larger mating network and moved to join the men, with whom they were buried. Finally, the oldest brother likely held a higher social position, which was expressed in terms of fertility.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jens Blöcher
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Palaeogenetics Group, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz55128, Germany
| | - Maxime Brami
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Palaeogenetics Group, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz55128, Germany
| | - Isabelle Sofie Feinauer
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Palaeogenetics Group, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz55128, Germany
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm10691, Sweden
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm10405, Sweden
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm10691, Sweden
| | - Eliza Stolarczyk
- Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt am MainD-60629, Germany
| | - Yoan Diekmann
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Palaeogenetics Group, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz55128, Germany
| | - Lisa Vetterdietz
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Palaeogenetics Group, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz55128, Germany
| | - Marina Karapetian
- Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow125009, Russia
| | - Laura Winkelbach
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Palaeogenetics Group, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz55128, Germany
| | - Vanessa Kokot
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Palaeogenetics Group, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz55128, Germany
| | | | - Astrid Stobbe
- Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt am MainD-60629, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Haak
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig04103, Germany
| | - Christina Papageorgopoulou
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Department of History and Ethnology, Democritus University of Thrace, Komotini69100, Greece
| | - Rüdiger Krause
- Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt am MainD-60629, Germany
| | - Svetlana Sharapova
- Institute of History and Archaeology, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, Ekaterinburg620108, Russia
| | - Joachim Burger
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Palaeogenetics Group, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz55128, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Ringbauer H, Huang Y, Akbari A, Mallick S, Patterson N, Reich D. ancIBD - Screening for identity by descent segments in human ancient DNA. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.08.531671. [PMID: 36945531 PMCID: PMC10028887 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.08.531671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Long DNA sequences shared between two individuals, known as Identical by descent (IBD) segments, are a powerful signal for identifying close and distant biological relatives because they only arise when the pair shares a recent common ancestor. Existing methods to call IBD segments between present-day genomes cannot be straightforwardly applied to ancient DNA data (aDNA) due to typically low coverage and high genotyping error rates. We present ancIBD, a method to identify IBD segments for human aDNA data implemented as a Python package. Our approach is based on a Hidden Markov Model, using as input genotype probabilities imputed based on a modern reference panel of genomic variation. Through simulation and downsampling experiments, we demonstrate that ancIBD robustly identifies IBD segments longer than 8 centimorgan for aDNA data with at least either 0.25x average whole-genome sequencing (WGS) coverage depth or at least 1x average depth for in-solution enrichment experiments targeting a widely used aDNA SNP set ('1240k'). This application range allows us to screen a substantial fraction of the aDNA record for IBD segments and we showcase two downstream applications. First, leveraging the fact that biological relatives up to the sixth degree are expected to share multiple long IBD segments, we identify relatives between 10,156 ancient Eurasian individuals and document evidence of long-distance migration, for example by identifying a pair of two approximately fifth-degree relatives who were buried 1410km apart in Central Asia 5000 years ago. Second, by applying ancIBD, we reveal new details regarding the spread of ancestry related to Steppe pastoralists into Europe starting 5000 years ago. We find that the first individuals in Central and Northern Europe carrying high amounts of Steppe-ancestry, associated with the Corded Ware culture, share high rates of long IBD (12-25 cM) with Yamnaya herders of the Pontic-Caspian steppe, signaling a strong bottleneck and a recent biological connection on the order of only few hundred years, providing evidence that the Yamnaya themselves are a main source of Steppe ancestry in Corded Ware people. We also detect elevated sharing of long IBD segments between Corded Ware individuals and people associated with the Globular Amphora culture (GAC) from Poland and Ukraine, who were Copper Age farmers not yet carrying Steppe-like ancestry. These IBD links appear for all Corded Ware groups in our analysis, indicating that individuals related to GAC contexts must have had a major demographic impact early on in the genetic admixtures giving rise to various Corded Ware groups across Europe. These results show that detecting IBD segments in aDNA can generate new insights both on a small scale, relevant to understanding the life stories of people, and on the macroscale, relevant to large-scale cultural-historical events.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Harald Ringbauer
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Yilei Huang
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Bioinformatics Group, Institute of Computer Science, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germanÿ
| | - Ali Akbari
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Swapan Mallick
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nick Patterson
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - David Reich
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| |
Collapse
|