1. |
- Blöcher, Jens, et al.
(author)
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Descent, marriage, and residence practices of a 3,800-year-old pastoral community in Central Eurasia
- 2023
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 120:36
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)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.
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2. |
- Haak, Wolfgang, et al.
(author)
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The Corded Ware Complex in Europe in Light of Current Archaeogenetic and Environmental Evidence
- 2023
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In: The Indo-European Puzzle Revisited : Integrating Archaeology, Genetics, and Linguistics - Integrating Archaeology, Genetics, and Linguistics. - 9781009261746 - 9781009261753 ; , s. 63-80
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Book chapter (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Corded Ware is one of the main archaeological phenomena of the third millennium before the common era (BCE), with a wide geographic spread across much of central and northeastern Europe, from Denmark, the Rhineland, and Switzerland in the west to the Baltic and Western Russia in the east, and broadly restricted to the temperate, continental zones north of the Alps, the Carpathians, and the steppe/forest steppe border to the east (Glob 1944; Strahm and Buchvaldek 1991; Furholt 2014).
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3. |
- Haak, Wolfgang, et al.
(author)
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The Corded Ware Complex in Europe in the Light of Current Archaeogenetic and Environmental Evidence
- 2023
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In: The Indo-European Puzzle Revisited / edited by Kristian Kristiansen, Guus Kroonen, Eske Willerslev. - Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. - 9781009261746 ; , s. 63-80
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A re-analysis of all Corded Ware aDNA samples is linked to a new analysis of their environmental setting and burial contexts. It shows regional variation where the earliest CW is more closely following the Yamnaya /CW burial tradition. They have also higher steppe DNA and are male dominated. Over time more females are buried and more cultural and genetic admixture with Neolithic groups takes place.
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4. |
- Heggarty, Paul, et al.
(author)
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Language trees with sampled ancestors support a hybrid model for the origin of Indo-European languages
- 2023
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In: Science. - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 381:6656
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Languages of the Indo-European family are spoken by almost half of the world’s population, but their origins and patterns of spread are disputed. Heggarty et al. present a database of 109 modern and 52 time-calibrated historical Indo-European languages, which they analyzed with models of Bayesian phylogenetic inference. Their results suggest an emergence of Indo-European languages around 8000 years before present. This is a deeper root date than previously thought, and it fits with an initial origin south of the Caucasus followed by a branch northward into the Steppe region. These findings lead to a “hybrid hypothesis” that reconciles current linguistic and ancient DNA evidence from both the eastern Fertile Crescent (as a primary source) and the steppe (as a secondary homeland).
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