Abstract
Ancient DNA studies have revealed how human migrations from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age transformed the social and genetic structure of European societies. Present-day Croatia lies at the heart of ancient migration routes through Europe, yet our knowledge about social and genetic processes here remains sparse. To shed light on these questions, we report new whole-genome data for 28 individuals dated to between ~ 4700 BCE–400 CE from two sites in present-day eastern Croatia. In the Middle Neolithic we evidence first cousin mating practices and strong genetic continuity from the Early Neolithic. In the Middle Bronze Age community that we studied, we find multiple closely related males suggesting a patrilocal social organisation. We also find in that community an unexpected genetic ancestry profile distinct from individuals found at contemporaneous sites in the region, due to the addition of hunter-gatherer-related ancestry. These findings support archaeological evidence for contacts with communities further north in the Carpathian Basin. Finally, an individual dated to Roman times exhibits an ancestry profile that is broadly present in the region today, adding an important data point to the substantial shift in ancestry that occurred in the region between the Bronze Age and today.
Highlights
Ancient DNA studies have revealed how human migrations from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age transformed the social and genetic structure of European societies
Published genome-wide data from a small number of ancient individuals from present-day Croatia have shown how Neolithic and Copper Age genomes share similar ancestry with early farmers from Anatolia, but some Copper Age and coastal Bronze Age individuals display additional ancestry associated with steppe pastoralist p opulations[2] that dispersed into Europe during the third millennium BCE
With this study we have extended the spatio-temporal genomic transect of present-day Croatia, shedding light on the genetic history of people living in its diverse ecoregions
Summary
Ancient DNA studies have revealed how human migrations from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age transformed the social and genetic structure of European societies. Its central location at the interface of Central Europe, the Balkan Peninsula and the Mediterranean has long promoted it as a conduit to Anatolia, the Aegean and the steppe region as far as the Black Sea, with the northern lowlands connecting it to passes through the Carpathian Basin to Europe b eyond[1] This region was a significant corridor for the first migrating farmers from western Anatolia, who dispersed throughout the rest of Europe via inland and littoral routes along the Danube River and eastern Adriatic coast r espectively[2,3]. By the Late Neolithic in southeast Europe and southern Transdanubia, a new mortuary practice emerged with the appearance of cemeteries located away from the space of the living[18] This was accompanied by growing social distinctions among b urials[4,23], signalling an important change in people’s relationship with the d ead[18]. Predominantly cremation burials have been found associated with this culture (Supplementary Text S2), with the new availability of inhumation burials, we can use ancient DNA to shed light on their genetic and social structure, and use the genetic data to learn more about social status as seen in the distribution of prestige grave goods
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
