Molecular ecology of a Neolithic meadow: The DNA of the grass remains from the archaeological site of the Tyrolean Iceman

Abstract

The paper reports on the molecular analysis of samples of approximately 5,300-year-old grass found at the alpine archaeological site where the so-called Tyrolean Iceman was discovered. The grass comes from a ‘cloak’ made of long grass blades and/or the stuffing of the ‘snow footwear’ worn by the Iceman. The results show that while the largest fraction of the DNA extractable from the grass is of ‘foreign’ origin, a much smaller part belongs to the original genetic material of the grass itself, and can be used as a valuable taxonomic clue to the plant species utilized by neolithic men to manufacture their equipment. On the other hand, the ‘foreign’ DNA, or at least a portion of it, comes from microorganisms-mainly filamentous fungi and unicellular algae-which seem to have been associated with the grass since the time the grass was harvested.