| 1. |
- Frank, A. B., et al.
(author)
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A multi-proxy, bioavailable strontium isotope baseline for southern Almeria, Spain: Using modern environmental samples to constrain the isotopic range of bioavailable strontium
- 2022
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In: Applied Geochemistry. - : Elsevier BV. - 0883-2927. ; 144
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Spanish region of Almeria is well known for its rich geological records and its richness in archaeological remains. Sr isotopes have been applied in archaeology as a powerful tracing tool for individual human and animal mobility, but their application requires extensive regional baselines as reference against which the target materials can be compared. This study presents Sr concentrations and Sr-87/Sr-86 values of modern environmental proxies (plants, soils and surface waters) from southern Almeria to establish such a bioavailable Sr isotope baseline for this region. Additionally, this study evaluates differences in bioavailable Sr-87/Sr-86 signatures of the plants, soil leachates and surface waters and tests three soil leaching agents, ultrapure water (mq), 1M NH4NO3 and 0.1M HNO3, to better understand variations of Sr isotope signatures captured by the different proxies and to evaluate their suitability for baseline constructions. Our results define a wide range of Sr-87/Sr-86 values ranging from 0.70836 to 0.71630. Our data reveals a strong influence of the local surface lithology on bioavailable Sr-87/Sr-86 compositions. While the plants and soil leachates generally returned similar Sr-87/Sr-86 values, surface waters from the same sites sometimes returned significantly less radiogenic values likely due to transported, carbonate-derived Sr from their catchment areas. The different soil leaching procedures returned leachable fractions with similar Sr-87/Sr-86 values, but a slight bias was observed for soils with a carbonate component signifying the overall strong control of bioavailable Sr by carbonates. We propose to define bioavailable Sr isotope baselines as the average bioavailable Sr-87/Sr-86 ratio +/- double standard deviation ((X) over bar +/- 2 sigma) of 1) plants and soil leachates and 2) surface waters for each surface lithology. The soil and plant-based baselines define the narrowest range in Sr-87/Sr-86 for areas dominated by Cenozoic volcanic rocks while the widest range is seen in areas dominated by high grade Paleozoic metamorphic rocks. Due to the scarcity of surface water run-off in the arid region of southern Almeria, surface water based Sr-87/Sr-86 baselines could only be defined for sites dominated by Cenozoic sediments and high grade Paleozoic metamorphic rocks.
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| 2. |
- Frank, A. B., et al.
(author)
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Isotopic range of bioavailable strontium on the Peloponnese peninsula, Greece: A multi-proxy approach
- 2021
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697. ; 774
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sr isotopes are a powerful tool used for provenancing in many disciplines, but their successful application requires the availability of robust Sr baselines of potential target areas. This study presents 87Sr/86Sr signatures and Sr concentrations of water, plants and soil leachates from the Peloponnese peninsula, Greece, to establish the first comprehensive bioavailable Sr isotope baseline for this region. Additionally, this study aims to evaluate which proxy is most suitable to characterise bioavailable Sr in a geologically complex area also exposed to foreign aeolian Sr sources. Our recorded bioavailable Sr isotope signatures correspond well with the surface lithologies characteristic of the Peloponnese. Unradiogenic 87Sr/86Sr ratios and a narrow isotope range (0.70779–0.70955) characterise the bioavailable Sr signatures of the sedimentary deposits and more radiogenic and isotopically variable values (0.70791–0.72370) were measured for metamorphic and igneous rock outcrops. The differences in 87Sr/86Sr values measured between proxies of one site are comparatively low for samples from the sedimentary and igneous deposits, while the overall spread in 87Sr/86Sr values is wider for samples from metamorphic deposits. We propose to define bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr baseline ranges as the average bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr ratio of all proxies of each lithology ± its double standard deviation (x̅ ± 2σ). This results in narrow baselines for the sedimentary outcrops of 0.70832 ± 0.00053 (n = 58) for clastic sediments and 0.70835 ± 0.00089 (n = 29) for chemical sediments. The metamorphic deposits are characterised by wider bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr baselines of 0.70906 ± 0.00116 (n = 4) and 0.71429 ± 0.01133 (n = 13) for marble and schist, respectively. The bioavailable Sr baseline for igneous rock outcrops is also characterised by a comparatively wide range with 0.70950 ± 0.00259 (n = 7). The wide range in inter- and intra-site specific bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr variation observed in this study emphasise the need for comprehensive multi-proxy sampling strategies within geologically-complex areas. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.
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| 3. |
- Frank, A. B., et al.
(author)
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The geographic distribution of bioavailable strontium isotopes in Greece – A base for provenance studies in archaeology
- 2021
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697. ; 791
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sr isotopes are a powerful tool used to reconstruct human mobility in archaeology. This requires extensive bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr baselines used as reference for deciphering potential areas of origin. We define the first extensive bioavailable Sr isotope baselines for the different geographical regions and surface lithologies of Greece by combining new Sr data with previously published bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr data. We present 82 new Sr concentrations and 87Sr/86Sr signatures of plants, soil leachates, surface waters and spring waters from Central Greece and combine these with published baseline values from all over Greece. We define individual baselines for ten of the thirteen geographical regions of Greece. We also provide soil leachate 87Sr/86Sr ratios from the two archaeological Bronze Age sites of Kirrha and Ayios Vasileios in Central and Southern Greece and demonstrate the validity and applicability of the new baselines for these sites. The bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr compositions of Central Greece define a narrow range of 87Sr/86Sr values between 0.70768 — 0.71021, with the widest range observed for the soil leachates. Sr derived from carbonate weathering appears to be the most important Sr source sampled by the proxies. There is an overall larger variability in baseline ranges of the different geographical regions, the narrowest is that for West Greece and the widest that for West Macedonia. In addition, we computed statistical Sr isotope ranges for the five main surface lithological groups characterising the sampling sites of the various proxies. Narrowly ranged, unradiogenic bioavailable Sr isotope signatures are typical of areas characterised by igneous outcrops as well as by Cenozoic and Mesozoic sediments. Areas, where Palaeozoic and Precambrian bedrock outcrops dominate, produce significantly wider ranges. Our study promotes the usefulness of multi-proxy baselines for geographical reference purposes and thus their promising applicability for future human mobility studies. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.
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| 4. |
- Frei, K. M., et al.
(author)
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A matter of months: High precision migration chronology of a Bronze Age female
- 2017
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In: Plos One. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 12:6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Establishing the age at which prehistoric individuals move away from their childhood residential location holds crucial information about the socio dynamics and mobility patterns in ancient societies. We present a novel combination of strontium isotope analyses performed on the over 3000 year old "Skrydstrup Woman" from Denmark, for whom we compiled a highly detailed month-scale model of her migration timeline. When combined with physical anthropological analyses this timeline can be related to the chronological age at which the residential location changed. We conducted a series of high-resolution strontium isotope analyses of hard and soft human tissues and combined these with anthropological investigations including CT-scanning and 3D visualizations. The Skrydstrup Woman lived during a pan-European period characterized by technical innovation and great social transformations stimulated by long-distance connections; consequently she represents an important part of both Danish and European prehistory. Our multidisciplinary study involves complementary biochemical, biomolecular and microscopy analyses of her scalp hair. Our results reveal that the Skrydstrup Woman was between 17-18 years old when she died, and that she moved from her place of origin -outside present day Denmark- to the Skrydstrup area in Denmark 47 to 42 months before she died. Hence, she was between 13 to 14 years old when she migrated to and resided in the area around Skrydstrup for the rest of her life. From an archaeological standpoint, this one-time and one-way movement of an elite female during the possible "age of marriageability" might suggest that she migrated with the aim of establishing an alliance between chiefdoms. Consequently, this detailed multidisciplinary investigation provides a novel tool to reconstruct high resolution chronology of individual mobility with the perspective of studying complex patterns of social and economic interaction in prehistory.
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| 5. |
- Frei, K.M., et al.
(author)
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Tracing the dynamic life story of a Bronze Age Female
- 2015
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In: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ancient human mobility at the individual level is conventionally studied by the diverse application of suitable techniques (e.g. aDNA, radiogenic strontium isotopes, as well as oxygen and lead isotopes) to either hard and/or soft tissues. However, the limited preservation of coexisting hard and soft human tissues hampers the possibilities of investigating high-resolution diachronic mobility periods in the life of a single individual. Here, we present the results of a multidisciplinary study of an exceptionally well preserved circa 3.400-year old Danish Bronze Age female find, known as the Egtved Girl. We applied biomolecular, biochemical and geochemical analyses to reconstruct her mobility and diet. We demonstrate that she originated from a place outside present day Denmark (the island of Bornholm excluded), and that she travelled back and forth over large distances during the final months of her life, while consuming a terrestrial diet with intervals of reduced protein intake. We also provide evidence that all her garments were made of non-locally produced wool. Our study advocates the huge potential of combining biomolecular and biogeochemical provenance tracer analyses to hard and soft tissues of a single ancient individual for the reconstruction of high-resolution human mobility.
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| 6. |
- Ladegaard-Pedersen, P., et al.
(author)
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A strontium isotope baseline of Cyprus. Assessing the use of soil leachates, plants, groundwater and surface water as proxies for the local range of bioavailable strontium isotope composition
- 2020
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697. ; 708
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this study, a strontium isotope baseline for Cyprus is presented. The aim of the study was two-fold; first to provide an environmental multi-proxy-based baseline (water/plants/soil leachates) suitable for archaeological provenance and mobility studies, food source authentication, and forensic investigations; and second, to contribute to the debate around which proxy (or combination of proxies) might be most suitable to define bioavailable fractions of strontium in geologically complex areas also exposed to sea-spray and other Sr-bearing aerosols. Lowest bioavailable strontium isotope signatures range is found within terranes dominated by ophiolites, where Sr-87/Sr-86 ratios range from 0.7055 to 0.7081, however, results reveal a high degree of variability in bioavailable Sr-87/Sr-86 ratios, both spatially, along depth profiles and amongst the different proxies. A narrower range of bioavailable Sr isotope signatures is observed within the Circum Troodos Sedimentary Successions (C.T.S.S.), both in spatial distribution and between different proxies. Observed range is Sr-87/Sr-86 = 0.7079 to 0.7089 in areas dominated by pre-Quaternary C.T.S.S., and Sr-87/Sr-86 ratios = 0.7076 to 0.7086 in areas covered by Quaternary C.T.S.S., revealing the lithologies to be very homogenous with respect to bioavailable strontium ratios. Intra-site variations in three archaeological sites (multiple samples from each site from within a 500 m radius) within the pre-Quaternary and Quaternary C.T.S.S. are smaller than inter-site variations, suggesting that tracing studies inferred from baselines sampled within a limited spatial area could lead to erroneous conclusions regarding provenance. The study points to the necessity for conducting multi-proxy, spatially extensive sampling to adequately characterize complex geological areas, if these should serve as reliable reference areas in provenance studies. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 7. |
- Ladegaard-Pedersen, P., et al.
(author)
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Constraining a bioavailable strontium isotope baseline for the Lake Garda region, Northern Italy: A multi-proxy approach
- 2022
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In: Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 2352-409X. ; 41
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The evidence of prehistoric long-distance exchange networks in northern Italy is overwhelming, attested by several finds of non-local raw materials in Bronze Age pile-dwelling settlements of Lake Garda and eastern Po plain, like amber beads and bronze artefacts. Metals are dispersed throughout Bronze Age Europe from mining communities within the Alpine regions, and possibly local artefacts, like the Peschiera-type daggers, are known from archaeological records throughout Europe. This positions the region as part of organized networks of trade and communication connecting prehistoric Europe from north to south. This, however, does not in itself indicate a similar long-distance mobility of prehistoric individuals. To investigate individual, human provenance and mobility, the strontium (Sr) isotope methodology compares strontium isotope analysis of human remains to bioavailable strontium isotope baselines characterizing the regions of interest. We present here environmentally based, multi-proxy (water, soil leachates and plants) Sr baselines from the Lake Garda region. Our results show two separate baselines, roughly corresponding to the geographical distribution of rock types and erosional products thereof. One baseline is valid for the Lake Garda region, where Mesozoic carbonates are a dominant surface-near strontium source, and for the central Po plain north of River Po. We constrain this to 87Sr/86Sr = 0.7088 ± 0.0014 (2σ; n = 44) when including 9 compatible samples reported previously. The second Sr-baseline is valid for Alpine areas dominated by magmatic (basalts excluded) and metamorphic bedrock around the Fersina valley. We constrain this to 87Sr/86Sr = 0.7146 ± 0.0058 (2σ; n = 22) when including 11 compatible samples reported in previous studies. The baselines are compatible with previously reported results of other Sr proxies such as snails, archaeological fauna, and agricultural soils and products from the region. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd
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| 8. |
- Sabatini, Serena, 1974, et al.
(author)
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Investigating sheep mobility at Montale, Italy, through strontium isotope analyses
- 2022
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In: Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 2352-409X. ; 41
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In recent years, extensive archaeological studies have provided us with new knowledge on wool and woollen textile production at the Terramare site of Montale, in the Po plain, northern Italy. The large number of textile tools, and of zooarchaeological evidence suggesting intense sheepherding, hints at Montale being a specialized centre of wool production during the local Middle and Recent Bronze Age. The aim of our study has been to investigate, by means of strontium isotope analyses, whether engagement in this economic activity was facilitated by mobile herding practices or by regional/interregional exchange/trade of animals. To this aim, we conducted 75 strontium isotope analyses of tooth enamel from 36 zoo-archaeological remains of as many sheep/goat individuals from all the 11 archaeological phases identified at Montale and of four from the neighbouring early Middle Bronze Age site of Baggiovara. We also created a multi-proxy baseline from environmental samples of the region around Montale to interpret the results of the analyses from the sheep/goat teeth. Strontium isotope analyses have proven to be a powerful tool for the investigation of mobility when relevant and well-established baselines are available; our results hint at sheep herded to a consistent extent in the territory surrounding the respective sites. The data obtained in this study support earlier works suggesting that the territory around Montale had a significant pastoral vocation. © 2021 The Author(s)
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| 9. |
- Blank, Malou, 1975, et al.
(author)
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Interdisciplinary analyses of the remains from three gallery graves at Kinnekulle: tracing Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age societies in inland Southwestern Sweden
- 2023
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In: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. - : SPRINGER HEIDELBERG. - 1866-9557 .- 1866-9565. ; 15:7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this paper, we investigate the Scandinavian Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age of Kinnekulle in southwestern Sweden. The above-mentioned periods in the study area are poorly understood and the archaeological record consists of a few stray finds and a concentration of 20 gallery graves. This study focuses on three of the gallery graves where commingled skeletons from successive burials were recovered. The human remains and the artefacts from the graves were used for discussing individual life stories as well as living societies with the aim of gaining new knowledge of the last part of the Neolithic and the beginning of the Early Bronze Age in southwestern Sweden. We focused on questions concerning health and trauma, mobility and exchange networks, and diet and subsistence of the people using the graves. Chronological, bioarchaeological, and biomolecular aspects of the burials were approached through the application of archaeological and osteological studies, as well as stable isotope, strontium isotope, radiocarbon, and mtDNA analyses. The study provides evidence for high mobility and diverse diets, as well as inhumations primarily dated to the transition between the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age. We suggest that the mountain plateau of Kinnekulle was mainly reserved for the dead, while the people lived in agriculture-based groups in the surrounding lower lying regions.
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| 10. |
- Blank, Malou, 1975, et al.
(author)
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Isotope values of the bioavailable strontium in inland southwestern Sweden-A baseline for mobility studies
- 2018
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In: Plos One. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 13:10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The inland area of southwestern Sweden is well known for its well-preserved archaeological animal and human remains dating back to the Mesolithic and Neolithic (10000-4000 and 4000-1700 BC). They allow application of multiple bioarchaeological methods, giving insights into various and complementary aspects of prehistoric human life, as well as economic and social structures. One important aspect concerns human mobility and its relation to social networks and to circulation of objects. Here, strontium isotope analysis plays a crucial role. The present study aims to construct a strontium isotope baseline of southwestern Sweden with considerably greater coverage and higher resolution than previously published data. As the region has been affected by glacial events, the relation between bedrock geology and isotope signals of the bioavailable strontium in such areas is given special attention. We determined strontium isotope ratios for 61 water and five archaeological animal samples, and combined the data with previous measurements of two water and 21 non-domestic faunal samples. The results reveal a complex pattern. Several areas with distinct baseline ranges can be distinguished, although with overlaps between some of them. Overall, the bioavailable strontium isotope signals mirror the basement geology of the region. The highest ratios occur in the geologically oldest eastern parts of the Precambrian terrain, while lower ratios are found in the western part, and the lowest ratios occur in the youngest Paleozoic areas. At the same time, there are minor deviations compared to the underlying bedrock, due to glacial transport, overlying sediments, and local intrusions of younger rocks. The background data set now available allows for more nuanced and detailed interpretations of human and animal mobility in the region, in particular by identification of subregions with differing strontium isotope ratios within the Precambrian province. Also, we can now identify long distance mobility with greater confidence. ERG F, 1987, NORDIC HYDROLOGY, V18, P33 ERG G, 1995, WATER AIR AND SOIL POLLUTIONBIOGEOMON, International Symposium on Ecosystem
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| 11. |
- Damgaard, P. D., et al.
(author)
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137 ancient human genomes from across the Eurasian steppes
- 2018
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 557:7705, s. 369-374
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- For thousands of years the Eurasian steppes have been a centre of human migrations and cultural change. Here we sequence the genomes of 137 ancient humans (about 1x average coverage), covering a period of 4,000 years, to understand the population history of the Eurasian steppes after the Bronze Age migrations. We find that the genetics of the Scythian groups that dominated the Eurasian steppes throughout the Iron Age were highly structured, with diverse origins comprising Late Bronze Age herders, European farmers and southern Siberian hunter-gatherers. Later, Scythians admixed with the eastern steppe nomads who formed the Xiongnu confederations, and moved westward in about the second or third century bc, forming the Hun traditions in the fourthfifth century ad, and carrying with them plague that was basal to the Justinian plague. These nomads were further admixed with East Asian groups during several short-term khanates in the Medieval period. These historical events transformed the Eurasian steppes from being inhabited by Indo-European speakers of largely West Eurasian ancestry to the mostly Turkic-speaking groups of the present day, who are primarily of East Asian ancestry.
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| 12. |
- Schroeder, H., et al.
(author)
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Unraveling ancestry, kinship, and violence in a Late Neolithic mass grave
- 2019
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424. ; 116:22, s. 10705-10710
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The third millennium BCE was a period of major cultural and demographic changes in Europe that signaled the beginning of the Bronze Age. People from the Pontic steppe expanded westward, leading to the formation of the Corded Ware complex and transforming the genetic landscape of Europe. At the time, the Globular Amphora culture (3300-2700 BCE) existed over large parts of Central and Eastern Europe, but little is known about their interaction with neighboring Corded Ware groups and steppe societies. Here we present a detailed study of a Late Neolithic mass grave from southern Poland belonging to the Globular Amphora culture and containing the remains of 15 men, women, and children, all killed by blows to the head. We sequenced their genomes to between 1.1- and 3.9-fold coverage and performed kinship analyses that demonstrate that the individuals belonged to a large extended family. The bodies had been carefully laid out according to kin relationships by someone who evidently knew the deceased. From a population genetic viewpoint, the people from Koszyce are clearly distinct from neighboring Corded Ware groups because of their lack of steppe-related ancestry. Although the reason for the massacre is unknown, it is possible that it was connected with the expansion of Corded Ware groups, which may have resulted in competition for resources and violent conflict. Together with the archaeological evidence, these analyses provide an unprecedented level of insight into the kinship structure and social behavior of a Late Neolithic community.
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| 13. |
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- 2017
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In: Physical Review D. - 2470-0010 .- 2470-0029. ; 96:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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