Abstract
The Cucuteni-Trypillia complex (CTC) flourished in eastern Europe for over two millennia (5100–2800 BCE) from the end of the Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age. Its vast distribution area encompassed modern-day eastern Romania, Moldova and western/central Ukraine. Due to a lack of existing burials throughout most of this time, only little is known about the people associated with this complex and their genetic composition. Here, we present genome-wide data generated from the skeletal remains of four females that were excavated from two Late CTC sites in Moldova (3500–3100 BCE). All individuals carried a large Neolithic-derived ancestry component and were genetically more closely related to Linear Pottery than to Anatolian farmers. Three of the specimens also showed considerable amounts of steppe-related ancestry, suggesting influx into the CTC gene-pool from people affiliated with, for instance, the Ukraine Mesolithic. The latter scenario is supported by archaeological evidence. Taken together, our results confirm that the steppe component arrived in eastern Europe farming communities maybe as early as 3500 BCE. In addition, they are in agreement with the hypothesis of ongoing contacts and gradual admixture between incoming steppe and local western populations.
Highlights
The Cucuteni-Trypillia complex (CTC) flourished in eastern Europe for over two millennia (5100–2800 BCE) from the end of the Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age
CTC flourished in eastern Europe for about over two millennia (5100–2800 BCE) from the end of the Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age, and is commonly divided into an Early, Middle and Late period[4,5] (Fig. 1)
Subsequently these settlements were mostly abandoned[4], and there is archaeological evidence that individuals of the Late CTC interacted with populations that lived in the vast grasslands, or steppes, of Eurasia, such as the Early Bronze Age Yamnaya pastoralists[7]
Summary
The Cucuteni-Trypillia complex (CTC) flourished in eastern Europe for over two millennia (5100–2800 BCE) from the end of the Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age. In the archaeological record of eastern Europe, the first evidence for an agrarian lifestyle appeared in the 6th millennium BCE, when the Neolithic societies of the Danube basin (e.g. Linear Pottery [Linearbandkeramik, LBK] and Starčevo) began to spread to the Carpathian region[1,2,3] Following these early foundations, a new society, the Cucuteni-Trypillia complex (CTC) emerged in a vast area that encompassed modern-day eastern Romania, Moldova and western/central Ukraine (Trypillia; Fig. 1). CTC is characterized by a wealth of material finds, attesting to a strong farming economy, a high level of social organization and advanced metallurgy as well as by large proto-urban mega-sites that may have housed hundreds or thousands of inhabitants during the Middle period (4100–3600 BCE) Subsequently these settlements were mostly abandoned[4], and there is archaeological evidence that individuals of the Late CTC interacted with populations that lived in the vast grasslands, or steppes, of Eurasia, such as the Early Bronze Age Yamnaya pastoralists[7]. The incorporation of these additional data sets obtained from new specimens, sites and time points allows us to draw a more nuanced picture of the population movements and dynamics during this important period in the prehistory of eastern Europe
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