Ancient DNA reveals matrilineal continuity in present-day Poland over the last two millennia.

Anna Juras,Miroslawa Dabert,Alena Kushniarevich,Jakub Z Kosicki,Maanasa Raghavan,Janusz Piontek,Helena Malmström,Ene Metspalu,Eske Willerslev

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0110839

Abstract

While numerous ancient human DNA datasets from across Europe have been published till date, modern-day Poland in particular, remains uninvestigated. Besides application in the reconstruction of continent-wide human history, data from this region would also contribute towards our understanding of the history of the Slavs, whose origin is hypothesized to be in East or Central Europe. Here, we present the first population-scale ancient human DNA study from the region of modern-day Poland by establishing mitochondrial DNA profiles for 23 samples dated to 200 BC – 500 AD (Roman Iron Age) and for 20 samples dated to 1000–1400 AD (Medieval Age). Our results show that mitochondrial DNA sequences from both periods belong to haplogroups that are characteristic of contemporary West Eurasia. Haplotype sharing analysis indicates that majority of the ancient haplotypes are widespread in some modern Europeans, including Poles. Notably, the Roman Iron Age samples share more rare haplotypes with Central and Northeast Europeans, whereas the Medieval Age samples share more rare haplotypes with East-Central and South-East Europeans, primarily Slavic populations. Our data demonstrates genetic continuity of certain matrilineages (H5a1 and N1a1a2) in the area of present-day Poland from at least the Roman Iron Age until present. As such, the maternal gene pool of present-day Poles, Czechs and Slovaks, categorized as Western Slavs, is likely to have descended from inhabitants of East-Central Europe during the Roman Iron Age.

Highlights

Continuity of human occupation in the territory of Central Europe, modern-day Poland in particular, and its relation to the origins of the Slavs have been widely discussed in the archaeological, linguistic and historical literature; these questions still remain contentious [1,2,3,4,5]
To provide fresh perspectives on the debate of genetic continuity in Central Europe during the last two millennia, and to contribute to the resolution of the complex origin of the Slavs, we present the first population-level ancient Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis on samples originating from six archaeological sites in Poland
Archaeological sites and samples The skeletal material studied here originated from burial sites located in present-day Poland dating to the Roman Iron Age and the Medieval Age (n = 72) (Figure 1)

Summary

Introduction

Continuity of human occupation in the territory of Central Europe, modern-day Poland in particular, and its relation to the origins of the Slavs have been widely discussed in the archaeological, linguistic and historical literature; these questions still remain contentious [1,2,3,4,5]. Three groups of present-day Slavs are identified on the basis of their linguistic affinities: Western Slavs (Poles, Czechs and Slovaks), Eastern Slavs (Ukrainians, Belarusians and Russians) and Southern Slavs (Croatians, Bulgarians, Slovenians, Bosnians, Macedonians, Montenegrins and Serbians) [6]. It is supposed that all Slavs, besides their linguistic affinity, share a common place of origin, the latter is still inconclusive [5]. According to the autochthonous hypothesis, territories around Oder and Vistula rivers (in present-day Poland) were continuously inhabited by ancestors of

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