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Vincenti G, Molinaro L, Sajjadi SMS, Moradi H, Pagani L, Fabbri PF. Female biased adult sex ratio in the Bronze Age cemetery of Shahr-i Sokhta (Iran) as an indicator of long distance trade and matrilocality. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 183:e24911. [PMID: 38348756 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This paper starts from the unusual observation of the overrepresentation of females among adults in the cemetery of Bronze Age Shahr-i Sokhta (Seistan, Iran) and explores the post marital residence pattern. By integrating taphonomical (skeletal preservation), anthropological (sex ratio [SR], sexual dimorphism, stress indicators, age at death), archeological (long distance trade indicators, habitation floor area, social role of women), and ancient DNA (heterozygosity levels in X chromosomes) data we test the hypothesis of post marital matrilocality in the site. METHODS We computed the SR (pelvis-based sex determination) in a random unpublished adult sample from the cemetery of Shahr-i Sokhta and in two samples previously published by other authors. We used comparative data on SR from: a large Supra Regional multi-chronological sample of sites, n = 47, with 8808 adult sexed individuals, from Southern Europe, Egypt, Middle East, Southern Russia; a Regional Bronze Age sample of sites (n = 10) from Bactria Margiana and Indus Valley with 1324 adult sexed individuals. We estimated the heterozygosity levels in X chromosomes compared with the rest of the autosomes on the assumption that in a matrilocal society females should show lower variability than men. RESULTS Adult SR in a sample (n = 549) from Shahr-i Sokhta is 70.5, the overrepresentation of females is shared with Regional Bronze Age sites from Bactria Margiana (SR = 72.09) and Indus Valley (SR = 67.54). On the contrary, in a larger Supra Regional multi-chronological sample of sites, mean SR ranges between 112.7 (Bronze Age) and 163.1 (Middle Ages). Taphonomical and anthropological indicators do not explain the overrepresentation of female skeletons. Archeological indicators suggest a high social status of women and that the society was devoted to long range trade activities. heterozygosity levels in X chromosomes are in agreement with a matrilocal society. CONCLUSIONS Indicators suggest that Bronze Age Shahr-ì Sokhta was a matrilocal society and that long distance trade was an important economic factor producing an overrepresentation of adult female skeletons in the cemetery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Vincenti
- MAIPS, Multidisciplinary Archaeological Italian Project at Shahr-i Sokhta - Dipartimento Beni Culturali, Laboratorio di Antropologia Fisica, Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Ludovica Molinaro
- Estonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | | | - Luca Pagani
- Estonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Pier Francesco Fabbri
- MAIPS, Multidisciplinary Archaeological Italian Project at Shahr-i Sokhta, Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy
- Museo Fiorentino di Preistoria, Firenze, Italy
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2
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Altınışık NE, Kazancı DD, Aydoğan A, Gemici HC, Erdal ÖD, Sarıaltun S, Vural KB, Koptekin D, Gürün K, Sağlıcan E, Fernandes D, Çakan G, Koruyucu MM, Lagerholm VK, Karamurat C, Özkan M, Kılınç GM, Sevkar A, Sürer E, Götherström A, Atakuman Ç, Erdal YS, Özer F, Erim Özdoğan A, Somel M. A genomic snapshot of demographic and cultural dynamism in Upper Mesopotamia during the Neolithic Transition. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabo3609. [PMID: 36332018 PMCID: PMC9635823 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abo3609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Upper Mesopotamia played a key role in the Neolithic Transition in Southwest Asia through marked innovations in symbolism, technology, and diet. We present 13 ancient genomes (c. 8500 to 7500 cal BCE) from Pre-Pottery Neolithic Çayönü in the Tigris basin together with bioarchaeological and material culture data. Our findings reveal that Çayönü was a genetically diverse population, carrying mixed ancestry from western and eastern Fertile Crescent, and that the community received immigrants. Our results further suggest that the community was organized along biological family lines. We document bodily interventions such as head shaping and cauterization among the individuals examined, reflecting Çayönü's cultural ingenuity. Last, we identify Upper Mesopotamia as the likely source of eastern gene flow into Neolithic Anatolia, in line with material culture evidence. We hypothesize that Upper Mesopotamia's cultural dynamism during the Neolithic Transition was the product not only of its fertile lands but also of its interregional demographic connections.
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Affiliation(s)
- N. Ezgi Altınışık
- Human-G Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, Hacettepe University, 06800 Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Duygu Deniz Kazancı
- Human-G Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, Hacettepe University, 06800 Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Ayça Aydoğan
- Human-G Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, Hacettepe University, 06800 Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Hasan Can Gemici
- Department of Settlement Archaeology, Middle East Technical University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Ömür Dilek Erdal
- Husbio-L Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, Hacettepe University, 06800 Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Savaş Sarıaltun
- Department of Museology and Cultural Heritage Management, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale 17100, Turkey
| | - Kıvılcım Başak Vural
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Dilek Koptekin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
- Department of Health Informatics, Graduate School of Informatics, Middle East Technical University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Kanat Gürün
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Ekin Sağlıcan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
- Department of Health Informatics, Graduate School of Informatics, Middle East Technical University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Daniel Fernandes
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- CIAS, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Gökhan Çakan
- Husbio-L Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, Hacettepe University, 06800 Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Meliha Melis Koruyucu
- Husbio-L Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, Hacettepe University, 06800 Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Vendela Kempe Lagerholm
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Cansu Karamurat
- Department of Settlement Archaeology, Middle East Technical University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Mustafa Özkan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Gülşah Merve Kılınç
- Department of Bioinformatics, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hacettepe University, 06100 Sıhhiye, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Arda Sevkar
- Human-G Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, Hacettepe University, 06800 Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Elif Sürer
- Department of Modeling and Simulation, Graduate School of Informatics, Middle East Technical University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Anders Götherström
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Çiğdem Atakuman
- Department of Settlement Archaeology, Middle East Technical University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Yılmaz Selim Erdal
- Human-G Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, Hacettepe University, 06800 Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey
- Husbio-L Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, Hacettepe University, 06800 Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Füsun Özer
- Human-G Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, Hacettepe University, 06800 Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Aslı Erim Özdoğan
- Department of Archaeology, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale 17100, Turkey
| | - Mehmet Somel
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
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3
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Heraclides A, Fernández-Domínguez E. Mitochondrial DNA Consensus Calling and Quality Filtering for Constructing Ancient Human Mitogenomes: Comparison of Two Widely Applied Methods. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:4651. [PMID: 35563041 PMCID: PMC9104972 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23094651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Retrieving high-quality endogenous ancient DNA (aDNA) poses several challenges, including low molecular copy number, high rates of fragmentation, damage at read termini, and potential presence of exogenous contaminant DNA. All these factors complicate a reliable reconstruction of consensus aDNA sequences in reads from high-throughput sequencing platforms. Here, we report findings from a thorough evaluation of two alternative tools (ANGSD and schmutzi) aimed at overcoming these issues and constructing high-quality ancient mitogenomes. Raw genomic data (BAM/FASTQ) from a total of 17 previously published whole ancient human genomes ranging from the 14th to the 7th millennium BCE were retrieved and mitochondrial consensus sequences were reconstructed using different quality filters, with their accuracy measured and compared. Moreover, the influence of different sequence parameters (number of reads, sequenced bases, mean coverage, and rate of deamination and contamination) as predictors of derived sequence quality was evaluated. Complete mitogenomes were successfully reconstructed for all ancient samples, and for the majority of them, filtering substantially improved mtDNA consensus calling and haplogroup prediction. Overall, the schmutzi pipeline, which estimates and takes into consideration exogenous contamination, appeared to have the edge over the much faster and user-friendly alternative method (ANGSD) in moderate to high coverage samples (>1,000,000 reads). ANGSD, however, through its read termini trimming filter, showed better capabilities in calling the consensus sequence from low-quality samples. Among all the predictors of overall sample quality examined, the strongest correlation was found for the available number of sequence reads and bases. In the process, we report a previously unassigned haplogroup (U3b) for an Early Chalcolithic individual from Southern Anatolia/Northern Levant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandros Heraclides
- Department of Health Sciences, European University Cyprus, Diogenis Str. 6, Nicosia 2404, Cyprus
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4
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Schotsmans EMJ, Busacca G, Lin SC, Vasić M, Lingle AM, Veropoulidou R, Mazzucato C, Tibbetts B, Haddow SD, Somel M, Toksoy-Köksal F, Knüsel CJ, Milella M. New insights on commemoration of the dead through mortuary and architectural use of pigments at Neolithic Çatalhöyük, Turkey. Sci Rep 2022; 12:4055. [PMID: 35260577 PMCID: PMC8904496 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-07284-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The cultural use of pigments in human societies is associated with ritual activities and the creation of social memory. Neolithic Çatalhöyük (Turkey, 7100–5950 cal BC) provides a unique case study for the exploration of links between pigments in burials, demographic data and colourants in contemporary architectural contexts. This study presents the first combined analysis of funerary and architectural evidence of pigment use in Neolithic Anatolia and discusses the possible social processes underlying the observed statistical patterns. Results reveal that pigments were either applied directly to the deceased or included in the grave as a burial association. The most commonly used pigment was red ochre. Cinnabar was mainly applied to males and blue/green pigment was associated with females. A correlation was found between the number of buried individuals and the number of painted layers in the buildings. Mortuary practices seem to have followed specific selection processes independent of sex and age-at-death of the deceased. This study offers new insights about the social factors involved in pigment use in this community, and contributes to the interpretation of funerary practices in Neolithic Anatolia. Specifically, it suggests that visual expression, ritual performance and symbolic associations were elements of shared long-term socio-cultural practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- E M J Schotsmans
- Laboratoire d'Anthropologie des Populations Passées et Présentes (PACEA), UMR 5199, Université de Bordeaux, Pessac, France. .,Centre for Archaeological Science, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
| | | | - S C Lin
- Centre for Archaeological Science, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
| | | | - A M Lingle
- School of History, Archaeology, and Religion, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - R Veropoulidou
- Museum of Byzantine Culture, Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports, Thessaloníki, Greece
| | - C Mazzucato
- Department of Anthropology, Stanford University, Stanford, USA
| | - B Tibbetts
- Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - S D Haddow
- Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - M Somel
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey
| | - F Toksoy-Köksal
- Department of Geological Engineering, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey
| | - C J Knüsel
- Laboratoire d'Anthropologie des Populations Passées et Présentes (PACEA), UMR 5199, Université de Bordeaux, Pessac, France
| | - M Milella
- Department of Physical Anthropology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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5
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Yaka R, Mapelli I, Kaptan D, Doğu A, Chyleński M, Erdal ÖD, Koptekin D, Vural KB, Bayliss A, Mazzucato C, Fer E, Çokoğlu SS, Lagerholm VK, Krzewińska M, Karamurat C, Gemici HC, Sevkar A, Dağtaş ND, Kılınç GM, Adams D, Munters AR, Sağlıcan E, Milella M, Schotsmans EMJ, Yurtman E, Çetin M, Yorulmaz S, Altınışık NE, Ghalichi A, Juras A, Bilgin CC, Günther T, Storå J, Jakobsson M, de Kleijn M, Mustafaoğlu G, Fairbairn A, Pearson J, Togan İ, Kayacan N, Marciniak A, Larsen CS, Hodder I, Atakuman Ç, Pilloud M, Sürer E, Gerritsen F, Özbal R, Baird D, Erdal YS, Duru G, Özbaşaran M, Haddow SD, Knüsel CJ, Götherström A, Özer F, Somel M. Variable kinship patterns in Neolithic Anatolia revealed by ancient genomes. Curr Biol 2021; 31:2455-2468.e18. [PMID: 33857427 PMCID: PMC8210650 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.03.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2020] [Revised: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The social organization of the first fully sedentary societies that emerged during the Neolithic period in Southwest Asia remains enigmatic,1 mainly because material culture studies provide limited insight into this issue. However, because Neolithic Anatolian communities often buried their dead beneath domestic buildings,2 household composition and social structure can be studied through these human remains. Here, we describe genetic relatedness among co-burials associated with domestic buildings in Neolithic Anatolia using 59 ancient genomes, including 22 new genomes from Aşıklı Höyük and Çatalhöyük. We infer pedigree relationships by simultaneously analyzing multiple types of information, including autosomal and X chromosome kinship coefficients, maternal markers, and radiocarbon dating. In two early Neolithic villages dating to the 9th and 8th millennia BCE, Aşıklı Höyük and Boncuklu, we discover that siblings and parent-offspring pairings were frequent within domestic structures, which provides the first direct indication of close genetic relationships among co-burials. In contrast, in the 7th millennium BCE sites of Çatalhöyük and Barcın, where we study subadults interred within and around houses, we find close genetic relatives to be rare. Hence, genetic relatedness may not have played a major role in the choice of burial location at these latter two sites, at least for subadults. This supports the hypothesis that in Çatalhöyük,3, 4, 5 and possibly in some other Neolithic communities, domestic structures may have served as burial location for social units incorporating biologically unrelated individuals. Our results underscore the diversity of kin structures in Neolithic communities during this important phase of sociocultural development. Genetic kinship estimated from co-buried individuals’ genomes in Neolithic Anatolia Close relatives are common among co-burials in Aşıklı and Boncuklu Many unrelated infants found buried in the same building in Çatalhöyük and Barcın Neolithic societies in Southwest Asia may have held diverse concepts of kinship
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Affiliation(s)
- Reyhan Yaka
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey.
| | - Igor Mapelli
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey
| | - Damla Kaptan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey
| | - Ayça Doğu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey
| | - Maciej Chyleński
- Institute of Human Biology and Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Ömür Dilek Erdal
- Department of Anthropology, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Dilek Koptekin
- Department of Health Informatics, Middle East Technical University (METU), Historic England, London, UK
| | - Kıvılcım Başak Vural
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey
| | - Alex Bayliss
- Scientific Dating, Historic England, London, UK; Biological & Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | - Camilla Mazzucato
- Department of Anthropology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94303 USA
| | - Evrim Fer
- Department of Genetics, University of Arizona, 85719, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Sevim Seda Çokoğlu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey
| | - Vendela Kempe Lagerholm
- Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Maja Krzewińska
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden; Archaeological Research Laboratory, Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Cansu Karamurat
- Graduate School of Social Sciences, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey
| | - Hasan Can Gemici
- Graduate School of Social Sciences, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey
| | - Arda Sevkar
- Department of Anthropology, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Nihan Dilşad Dağtaş
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey
| | - Gülşah Merve Kılınç
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey; Department of Bioinformatics, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hacettepe University, 06100, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Donovan Adams
- Department of Anthropology, University of Central Florida, Uppsala University, 751 05 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Arielle R Munters
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, 751 05 Uppsala, Sweden; SciLife Lab, Uppsala University, 751 05 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ekin Sağlıcan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey
| | - Marco Milella
- Department of Physical Anthropology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Sulgenauweg 40, CH-3007 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Eline M J Schotsmans
- Centre for Archaeological Science, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia; UMR 5199, De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel: Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie (PACEA), Université de Bordeaux, Pessac, France
| | - Erinç Yurtman
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey
| | - Mehmet Çetin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey
| | - Sevgi Yorulmaz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey
| | - N Ezgi Altınışık
- Department of Anthropology, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey; Human G Lab, Department of Anthropology, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Ayshin Ghalichi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey; Department of Archaeogenetics, Max-Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, D-07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Anna Juras
- Institute of Human Biology and Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - C Can Bilgin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey
| | - Torsten Günther
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, 751 05 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jan Storå
- Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mattias Jakobsson
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, 751 05 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Maurice de Kleijn
- Spatial Information Laboratory (SPINlab) at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Gökhan Mustafaoğlu
- Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Letters, Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University, Abant 1 Cad. No:10/2D, Yenimahalle, Ankara
| | - Andrew Fairbairn
- School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Michie Building, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Jessica Pearson
- Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool, 8-14 Abercromby Square, Liverpool, L69 7WZ, UK
| | - İnci Togan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey
| | - Nurcan Kayacan
- Department of Prehistory, Faculty of Letters, Istanbul University, Ordu Cad. No: 6, 34459, Laleli, Istanbul
| | | | | | - Ian Hodder
- Department of Anthropology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94303 USA
| | - Çiğdem Atakuman
- Institute of Social Sciences, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey
| | - Marin Pilloud
- Department of Anthropology, University of Nevada, Reno
| | - Elif Sürer
- Department of Modeling and Simulation, Graduate School of Informatics, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey
| | | | - Rana Özbal
- Department of Archaeology and History of Art, Koç University, 34450 Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Douglas Baird
- Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool, 8-14 Abercromby Square, Liverpool, L69 7WZ, UK
| | - Yılmaz Selim Erdal
- Department of Anthropology, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey; Human G Lab, Department of Anthropology, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Güneş Duru
- Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Istanbul 34134, Turkey
| | | | - Scott D Haddow
- Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christopher J Knüsel
- UMR 5199, De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel: Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie (PACEA), Université de Bordeaux, Pessac, France
| | - Anders Götherström
- Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Füsun Özer
- Department of Anthropology, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey; Human G Lab, Department of Anthropology, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
| | - Mehmet Somel
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey.
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Diroma MA, Modi A, Lari M, Sineo L, Caramelli D, Vai S. New Insights Into Mitochondrial DNA Reconstruction and Variant Detection in Ancient Samples. Front Genet 2021; 12:619950. [PMID: 33679884 PMCID: PMC7930628 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.619950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ancient DNA (aDNA) studies are frequently focused on the analysis of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is much more abundant than the nuclear genome, hence can be better retrieved from ancient remains. However, postmortem DNA damage and contamination make the data analysis difficult because of DNA fragmentation and nucleotide alterations. In this regard, the assessment of the heteroplasmic fraction in ancient mtDNA has always been considered an unachievable goal due to the complexity in distinguishing true endogenous variants from artifacts. We implemented and applied a computational pipeline for mtDNA analysis to a dataset of 30 ancient human samples from an Iron Age necropolis in Polizzello (Sicily, Italy). The pipeline includes several modules from well-established tools for aDNA analysis and a recently released variant caller, which was specifically conceived for mtDNA, applied for the first time to aDNA data. Through a fine-tuned filtering on variant allele sequencing features, we were able to accurately reconstruct nearly complete (>88%) mtDNA genome for almost all the analyzed samples (27 out of 30), depending on the degree of preservation and the sequencing throughput, and to get a reliable set of variants allowing haplogroup prediction. Additionally, we provide guidelines to deal with possible artifact sources, including nuclear mitochondrial sequence (NumtS) contamination, an often-neglected issue in ancient mtDNA surveys. Potential heteroplasmy levels were also estimated, although most variants were likely homoplasmic, and validated by data simulations, proving that new sequencing technologies and software are sensitive enough to detect partially mutated sites in ancient genomes and discriminate true variants from artifacts. A thorough functional annotation of detected and filtered mtDNA variants was also performed for a comprehensive evaluation of these ancient samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Angela Diroma
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy
| | - Alessandra Modi
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy
| | - Martina Lari
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy
| | - Luca Sineo
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - David Caramelli
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy
| | - Stefania Vai
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy
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7
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Vai S, Amorim CEG, Lari M, Caramelli D. Kinship Determination in Archeological Contexts Through DNA Analysis. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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8
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Interactions between earliest Linearbandkeramik farmers and central European hunter gatherers at the dawn of European Neolithization. Sci Rep 2019; 9:19544. [PMID: 31863024 PMCID: PMC6925266 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-56029-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Archaeogenetic research over the last decade has demonstrated that European Neolithic farmers (ENFs) were descended primarily from Anatolian Neolithic farmers (ANFs). ENFs, including early Neolithic central European Linearbandkeramik (LBK) farming communities, also harbored ancestry from European Mesolithic hunter gatherers (WHGs) to varying extents, reflecting admixture between ENFs and WHGs. However, the timing and other details of this process are still imperfectly understood. In this report, we provide a bioarchaeological analysis of three individuals interred at the Brunn 2 site of the Brunn am Gebirge-Wolfholz archeological complex, one of the oldest LBK sites in central Europe. Two of the individuals had a mixture of WHG-related and ANF-related ancestry, one of them with approximately 50% of each, while the third individual had approximately all ANF-related ancestry. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios for all three individuals were within the range of variation reflecting diets of other Neolithic agrarian populations. Strontium isotope analysis revealed that the ~50% WHG-ANF individual was non-local to the Brunn 2 area. Overall, our data indicate interbreeding between incoming farmers, whose ancestors ultimately came from western Anatolia, and local HGs, starting within the first few generations of the arrival of the former in central Europe, as well as highlighting the integrative nature and composition of the early LBK communities.
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