Early Bronze Age Populations Research Articles

Some aspects of the postcranial morphology of the Ural-Mugodzhar population in the Late Bronze Age

The paper reports on the osteometric data of skeletons from the burials of the Kozhumberdy group of the Late Bronze Age Alakul Culture (Southern Ural). The research is aimed to reveal the character of the variability of osteometric features of the sample group and its comparison with synchronous groups of the steppe zone of Eurasia. Twenty-four male and seventeen female skeletons were investigated. Taking into account the poor preser-vation of the material, a new method of identification of sex, developed by I.M. Sineva, was applied. The results of the study of the series by statistical methods (principal component analysis, nonparametric Mann — Whitney cri-terion) are presented. A high degree of morphological diversity of the variants of the skeletal development under the dominance of a rather gracile osteological complex within the Bronze Age of the steppe Eurasia is observed. Several individuals, characterized by the increased size of the skeleton, are distinguished. The similarity of the main part of the studied sample group with the synchronous population of the steppe-forest-steppe zone of the Cis-Urals and Upper Ob Basin is revealed. At the same time, the Kozhumberdy group morphologically differs from the agricultural population of the Bronze Age in Central Asia. These results indicate the main direction of the mor-phological links of the Kozhumberdy group of the Alakul Culture with the sample groups of the Sintashta Culture of the Cis-Urals and Andronovo Culture of Western Siberia. There is also present an insignificant component as-sociated with the Early Bronze Age population of the steppe Volga-Ural region (the Yamnaya Culture). The as-sumption made previously on the basis of the study of craniological materials about a single morphological basis for the formation of the population of the Alakul and Srubnaya Cultures of the Bronze Age is not confirmed. The main component in the formation of the physical appearance of the Srubnaya population is the local Volga-Ural population. As the morphological basis for the formation of the Alakul Ural-Mugodzhar group we consider the Sintashta population of the Cis-Urals.

Enamel incremental markings in the deciduous teeth of children from the Early Bronze and modern ages

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to determine whether children from Early Bronze Age and modern populations differ in terms of the width of the neonatal line (NNL) and the occurrence of accentuated lines in enamel. DesignThe sample (N = 59) consisted of two groups: 29 deciduous teeth removed from the jaws of children (dental age range from 1 to 10 years) whose skeletal remains were found in Early Bronze archaeological graves in Mokrin Serbia, and 30 present-day exfoliated deciduous teeth from 6 to 11 year old children. Mothers, whose children participated in this study, provided information regarding their health during pregnancy. The analysis was carried out on ground sections with a scanning electron microscope. Two clinicians measured the width of the NNL and counted the accentuated lines in the enamel. ResultsThere was a statistically significant difference between the children from the two groups regarding the width of the NNL. The width of the NNL between children whose mothers were healthy and diagnosed with gestational diabetes was significantly different. Most subjects did not have accentuated lines in the prenatal enamel, regardless of whether they were from the Bronze or Modern age. Accentuated lines were dominantly found in the postnatal enamel of the children from the Early Bronze age. ConclusionsThis study is the first to investigate the width of the NNL in teeth of Maros children and Serbian children from the modern age. The wider NNL of children from the Early Bronze age indicates the possibility that they have experienced more overall stress in perinatal life.

Обь-Иртышское междуречье в эпоху раннего неолита – бронзы, Средневековья: культурогенез, хозяйство, мировоззрение (по материалам археологических комплексов)

This paper describes the research findings from the archaeological sites of the Neolithic – Early and Developed Bronze Age, the Middle Ages, located on the territory of Barabinskaya wood and steppe area in the Middle Omsk region, within the framework of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) projects. The excavations of diverse sites (burials, settlements, ritual sites) of various periods helped to obtain insights into residential and economic buildings, burials and ritual objects. As a result, new data on the economy and ideology shared by the representatives of some archaeological cultures, i.e. Odinovskaya, Krotovskaya, Andronovskaya (Fedorovskaya), Kyshtovskaya, were obtained. Based on the materials from the early Neolithic sites, a new archaeological culture Barabinskaya has been identified. The archaeological evidence of contacts between two Early Bronze Age populations, Odinovskaya and Krotovskaya cultures, during the 3rd millennium BC has been documented. The economy of the early Neolithic Middle Omsk population has been characterized as mainly based on fishing: taking into account the evidence of fishing development in Baraba microdistrict, the use of river and lake bio resources for this purpose as early as since the 8th–7th millennia BC is quite obvious. For the early Neolithic era, a specific method of preserving fish – “fish pits”, as well as fish smoking, – was documented. The bronze casting production acquires the first features of crafts. The analysis of the osteological materials from Odinovskaya culture sites in Central Baraba helps to reconstruct that economy as transitional from appropriating to producing type.
 The materials of the Middle Ages sanctuaries of the southern Khanty Kyshtovskaya culture are presented. The connection of cult complexes of this culture with small barns from the sacred places of the Siberian peoples and grave structures has been established. Based on the project results, two monographs were published.

A Healthier Smile in the Past? Dental Caries and Diet in Early Neolithic Farming Communities from Central Germany.

Dental health is closely linked to an individual’s health and diet. This bioarcheological study presents dental caries and stable isotope data obtained from prehistoric individuals (n = 101) from three Early Neolithic sites (c. 5500-4800 BCE) in central Germany. Dental caries and ante-mortem tooth loss (AMTL) were recorded and related to life history traits such as biological sex and age at death. Further, we correlate evidence on caries to carbon and nitrogen isotope data obtained from 83 individuals to assess the relationship between diet and caries. In 68.3% of the adults, carious lesions were present, with 10.3% of teeth affected. If AMTL is considered, the values increase by about 3%. The prevalence of subadults (18.4%) was significantly lower, with 1.8% carious teeth. The number of carious teeth correlated significantly with age but not sex. The isotopic data indicated an omnivorous terrestrial diet composed of domestic plants and animal derived protein but did not correlate with the prevalence of carious lesions. The combined evidence from caries and isotope analysis suggests a prevalence of starchy foods such as cereals in the diet of these early farmers, which aligns well with observations from other Early Neolithic sites but contrasts to Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age populations in Germany.

The skeletal remains from Umm an-Nar tomb QA 1-1: spatial distribution and anthropological analysis

Collective aboveground circular tombs of stone are one of the main categories of architectural structures from the Umm an-Nar period (2500–2000 BC) in the Oman peninsula. The tombs have been known since the late 1950s but various aspects of their functioning still await a full explanation. Most of them survived in poor condition, often empty, only a dozen or so actually yielding any human remains. Tomb QA 1-1, one of ten Umm an-Nar-type tombs at Wadi al-Fajj in northwestern Oman, has yielded a substantial assemblage of human skeletal remains (estimated MNI 25) from the two of four burial chambers excavated between 2016 and 2018. While the excavation of the tomb should be continued, a presentation of the bone assemblage recovered to date, including a distribution analysis of the remains, deposition characteristic, and preliminary osteological analysis, adds to the existing source base of Early Bronze Age populations in the ancient land of Magan.

Spatially explicit paleogenomic simulations support cohabitation with limited admixture between Bronze Age Central European populations

The Bronze Age is a complex period of social, cultural and economic changes. Recent paleogenomic studies have documented a large and rapid genetic change in early Bronze Age populations from Central Europe. However, the detailed demographic and genetic processes involved in this change are still debated. Here we have used spatially explicit simulations of genomic components to better characterize the demographic and migratory conditions that may have led to this change. We investigated various scenarios representing the expansion of pastoralists from the Pontic steppe, potentially linked to the Yamnaya cultural complex, and their interactions with local populations in Central Europe, considering various eco-evolutionary factors, such as population admixture, competition and long-distance dispersal. Our results do not support direct competition but rather the cohabitation of pastoralists and farmers in Central Europe, with limited gene flow between populations. They also suggest occasional long-distance migrations accompanying the expansion of pastoralists and a demographic decline in both populations following their initial contact. These results link recent archaeological and paleogenomic observations and move further the debate of genomic changes during the early Bronze Age.

Dairying enabled Early Bronze Age Yamnaya steppe expansions

During the Early Bronze Age, populations of the western Eurasian steppe expanded across an immense area of northern Eurasia. Combined archaeological and genetic evidence supports widespread Early Bronze Age population movements out of the Pontic–Caspian steppe that resulted in gene flow across vast distances, linking populations of Yamnaya pastoralists in Scandinavia with pastoral populations (known as the Afanasievo) far to the east in the Altai Mountains1,2 and Mongolia3. Although some models hold that this expansion was the outcome of a newly mobile pastoral economy characterized by horse traction, bulk wagon transport4–6 and regular dietary dependence on meat and milk5, hard evidence for these economic features has not been found. Here we draw on proteomic analysis of dental calculus from individuals from the western Eurasian steppe to demonstrate a major transition in dairying at the start of the Bronze Age. The rapid onset of ubiquitous dairying at a point in time when steppe populations are known to have begun dispersing offers critical insight into a key catalyst of steppe mobility. The identification of horse milk proteins also indicates horse domestication by the Early Bronze Age, which provides support for its role in steppe dispersals. Our results point to a potential epicentre for horse domestication in the Pontic–Caspian steppe by the third millennium bc, and offer strong support for the notion that the novel exploitation of secondary animal products was a key driver of the expansions of Eurasian steppe pastoralists by the Early Bronze Age.

Prevalence of dental caries in the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age populations from Żerniki Górne (Poland)

The aim of the studies is to describe the prevalence and distribution of dental caries in two pop­ulations from Żerniki Górne (Poland). The first population represented the Corded Ware Culture (CWC) (2550–2350 BC), and the second population belonged to the Trzciniec Culture (TC) (1300–1000 BC). While the TC is identified with a typically agricultural strategy, the CWC culture strategy is still debatable. Two types of strategies are indicated in the CWC, either a mixed or typical agricultural economy. A total of 110 adults were examined, of which 29 represented the CWC and 81 belonged to the TC. A total of 1132 permanent teeth were examined (CWC 379, TC 753). Of the 110 individuals, 54 individuals had dental caries (CWC 19/29, 66%; TC 35/81, 43%). In the CWC, 68% (13/19) of males and 60% (6/10) of females had dental caries. In the younger period (TC), the per­centage of dental caries among males was little higher (45%) than among females (41%). Dental caries was identified in 13% (50/379) of the teeth from the CWC. In the TC, the percentage of affected teeth were similar (11%, 82/753). The most common location of caries in all the chronological periods were the approximal and cemento-enamel junction [CEJ] surfaces. Caries on the occlusal surface was much less frequent. If we assume that an important cause of the development of dental caries is a high-carbohydrate diet, we can conclude that a similar prevalence of teeth affected by caries and it locations indicate a similar management strategy in both populations.

The genomic history of the Aegean palatial civilizations

SummaryThe Cycladic, the Minoan, and the Helladic (Mycenaean) cultures define the Bronze Age (BA) of Greece. Urbanism, complex social structures, craft and agricultural specialization, and the earliest forms of writing characterize this iconic period. We sequenced six Early to Middle BA whole genomes, along with 11 mitochondrial genomes, sampled from the three BA cultures of the Aegean Sea. The Early BA (EBA) genomes are homogeneous and derive most of their ancestry from Neolithic Aegeans, contrary to earlier hypotheses that the Neolithic-EBA cultural transition was due to massive population turnover. EBA Aegeans were shaped by relatively small-scale migration from East of the Aegean, as evidenced by the Caucasus-related ancestry also detected in Anatolians. In contrast, Middle BA (MBA) individuals of northern Greece differ from EBA populations in showing ∼50% Pontic-Caspian Steppe-related ancestry, dated at ca. 2,600-2,000 BCE. Such gene flow events during the MBA contributed toward shaping present-day Greek genomes.

Genomic Steppe ancestry in skeletons from the Neolithic Single Grave Culture in Denmark.

The Gjerrild burial provides the largest and best-preserved assemblage of human skeletal material presently known from the Single Grave Culture (SGC) in Denmark. For generations it has been debated among archaeologists if the appearance of this archaeological complex represents a continuation of the previous Neolithic communities, or was facilitated by incoming migrants. We sampled and analysed five skeletons from the Gjerrild cist, buried over a period of c. 300 years, 2600/2500-2200 cal BCE. Despite poor DNA preservation, we managed to sequence the genome (>1X) of one individual and the partial genomes (0.007X and 0.02X) of another two individuals. Our genetic data document a female (Gjerrild 1) and two males (Gjerrild 5 + 8), harbouring typical Neolithic K2a and HV0 mtDNA haplogroups, but also a rare basal variant of the R1b1 Y-chromosomal haplogroup. Genome-wide analyses demonstrate that these people had a significant Yamnaya-derived (i.e. steppe) ancestry component and a close genetic resemblance to the Corded Ware (and related) groups that were present in large parts of Northern and Central Europe at the time. Assuming that the Gjerrild skeletons are genetically representative of the population of the SGC in broader terms, the transition from the local Neolithic Funnel Beaker Culture (TRB) to SGC is not characterized by demographic continuity. Rather, the emergence of SGC in Denmark was part of the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age population expansion that swept across the European continent in the 3rd millennium BCE, resulting in various degrees of genetic replacement and admixture processes with previous Neolithic populations.

The Origin of the Okunev Population, Southern Siberia: The Evidence of Physical Anthropology and Genetics

Okunev cemeteries in the Minusinsk Basin were compared with 23 other pre-Andronovo series from southern Siberia, and 45 Early and Middle Bronze Age groups from Eastern Europe (24 Yamnaya and 21 Catacomb), using multivariate statistical analysis. While the Afanasyevo admixture in the Okunev population is possible, the hypothesis that the Okunev culture of the Minusinsk Basin originated from the second migration from the Eastern European steppes to southern Siberia in the Early Bronze Age is not supported. It could, however, be applied to people associated with the Okunev-type (Chaa-Khol) culture in Tuva, although these may as well have descended from the Afanasyevans. As concerns the Minusinsk Basin and other regions of southern Siberia except Tuva, the fi ndings agree with the idea of a marked evolutionary conservatism peculiar to the autochthonous populations of that territory, as evidenced by the fact that each of the three Early Bronze Age population clusters—on the Yenisei, in the Altai, and in Baraba—has its own Neolithic ancestors in the same area (this does not concern the Chaa-Khol, the Yelunino, and apparently the Samus populations). The immediate ancestors of the Okunev people can be identifi ed with the Neolithic population of the Krasnoyarsk-Kansk area, and more distant ones with the Upper Paleolithic southern Siberian common ancestors of the Okunev people and the Native Americans. These ancestors are evidenced by both cranial data (indirectly) and genetic data (directly). The la tter suggest that among these common ancestors were the Malta boy and the Afontova Gora II male. The Okunev population, then, is a relic, offering us a unique opportunity to see what the Upper Paleolithic ancestors of the Native Americans may have looked like in their southern Siberian homeland.

Multi-isotopic analysis of dietary habits and mobility at third millennium BC Bakla Tepe, West Anatolia

This paper examines the dietary habits and mobility of an Early Bronze Age (3000–2000 BCE) population from Bakla Tepe (West Anatolia in the Izmir region). The research utilises the results of stable isotope analyses of carbon (δ13C), nitrogen (δ15N), and sulphur (δ34S) from human bone collagen in conjunction with published archaeological data. Intra-population issues of dietary habits such as possible social divisions (e.g. between sexes, ages, and socio-economic status) were addressed. The sample population from Bakla Tepe consists of 19 adults and no subadults. In total, there are 8 males (42.1%) and 11 females (57.9%). There are two distinct and separate period cemeteries; from the Early Bronze Age I period, 7 individuals were sampled, with 12 individuals sampled from the Early Bronze Age II/III period. The results show that during the 3rd millennium BCE, dietary habits were generally homogeneous and became more so in the latter part of the millennium. Diets were predominantly terrestrial C3 based. There is one individual whose δ34S value suggests that she moved to the settlement from a location further inland and another whose δ34S value suggests that she may have moved to the settlement from nearer the coast.

Paleoanthropological study of a skull from a burial at the Chemurchek sanctuary Hulagash (Bayan-Ulgii aimag, Mongolia)

Recent studies show that, in the 3rd millennium BC, the highlands in the basin of the upper reaches of the Khovd (Kobdo) River constituted a ritual zone, which was of particular importance for the population inhabiting the western foothills of the Mongolian Altai Mountains. Its cultural singularity was due to the so-called Chemurchek cultural phenomenon — a set of characteristics of West European origin, which appeared there no later than 2700–2600 BC. Three large-scale ritual complexes-‘shrines’ attributed to this period were discovered in the area of Lake Dayan Nuur. Excavations conducted by the expedition of A.A. Kovalev and Ch. Munkhbayar revealed that these structures constituted fences consisting of vertical stone slabs, decorated all-over on the outside with the images of fantastic anthropomorphic creatures and animals. The excavation of Hulagash 1 (one of these sanctu-aries), radiocarbon dated to the middle of the 3rd millennium BC, revealed a single grave in the centre of the structure, synchronous with the time when the complex was used. The grave belonged to a man of advanced age, whose body was wrapped in a wide piece of cloth. The significance of this man being buried in the centre of the ritual site remains unclear. This person could have been sacrificed during construction or, conversely, he could have had a special status. Craniometrical measurement and dentological investigation of the scull from the Chemurchek sanctuary Hulagash were conducted; its graphic reconstruction was performed. Its anthropological type shows a significant Mongoloid component. Intergroup comparison revealed its significant morphological dif-ferences from markedly Caucasoid groups, including the Afanasievo culture of South Siberia and Central Asia. This excludes the morphogenetic continuity of the Chemurchek phenomenon from the antecedent Afanasievo popula-tion. The individual from Hulagash bears the greatest anthropological similarity to the Neolithic-Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age populations of the Circumbaikal region (Serovo and Glazkovo cultures) and the Barnaul-Biysk Ob area (Itkul and Firsovo XI burial grounds dating back to the pre-Bronze Age; Early Bronze Age burial grounds of the Elunino culture). This is obviously a manifestation of a shared anthropological substrate, since the anthropological component of the Baikal type (which the population of the Elunino culture included) was recorded in the Neolithic-Eneolithic materials from the northern foothills of the Altai Mountains. Remarkable morphological similarities between the individual from Hulagash and the bearers of the Elunino archaeological culture reinforce the assumption that there is a cultural affinity between the Chemurchek and Elunino populations of the Early Bronze Age.

A Rákóczifalva-Kastélydombon feltárt bronzkori embertani leletek vizsgálatának eredményei

In 1962, a bi-ritual Bronze Age cemetery (cremation and inhumation burials) were excavated by Zsolt Csalog at Rákóczifalva-Kastélydomb (Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county, Hungary). The Early Bronze Age skeletons and cremains belonged to the Nagyrév culture. The Late Bronze Age individuals were the bearers of the so-called Rákóczifalva cultural group of the Tumulus culture. The study provides the results of the biological anthropological analysis of human remains buried at Rákóczifalva-Kastélydomb Bronze Age cemetery. Both the inhumated and the cremated remains were very poorly preserved and fragmented. The low number of the investigable skeletons that belonged to the Nagyrév culture did not allow us to make any conclusions about the Early Bronze Age populations lived at Rákóczifalva. However, the publication of the basic anthropological results is relevant because these metric data are the first published data of the populations of the Nagyrév culture. The age distribution of the Late Bronze Age community shows a high percentage of sub-adults in the cemetery, similar to Jánoshida-Berek Tumulus culture community. In Rákóczifalva material the sex distribution was balanced. The pathological alterations that are usually frequent in almost every prehistoric material were observable in this series too (e.g. degenerative alterations of the spine and joints, porotic hyperostosis and entheseal changes).

Происхождение окуневского населения Южной Сибири по данным физической антропологии и генетики

Для проверки конкурирующих гипотез о происхождении окуневской культуры проведено многомерное статистическое сопоставление четырех мужских краниологических серий из окуневских могильников в Минусинской котловине с 23 другими сериями доандроновского времени из Южной Сибири и 45 сериями раннего и среднего бронзового века из Восточной Европы (24 ямные и 21 катакомбная). Афанасьевская примесь у окуневцев вполне вероятна, однако гипотеза о сложении окуневской культуры Минусинской котловины в результате второй миграции из восточно-европейских степей в Южную Сибирь в эпоху ранней бронзы не подтверждается. Она могла бы быть применима к носителям культуры окуневского типа (чаахольской) в Туве, но эти люди могли быть и потомками афанасьевцев. Результаты анализа серий из Южной Сибири (кроме Тувы) согласуются с мнением о значительной стабильности местного антропологического субстрата. Она проявляется в том, что для каждой из трех групп популяций эпохи ранней бронзы — енисейской, алтайской и барабинской - обнаруживаются неолитические предки на той же территории (к чаахольскому, елунинскому и, вероятно, самусьскому населению это не относится). Непосредственными предками окуневцев следует считать неолитических обитателей красноярско-канского района, более отдаленными — верхнепалеолитических общих предков окуневцев и американских индейцев. О их наличии свидетельствуют данные краниологии (косвенно) и генетики (прямо), причем генетические показывают, что к числу этих предков относились люди со стоянок Мальта и Афонтова Гора II. Реликтовая окуневская группа, таким образом, дает нам уникальную возможность представить себе, как могли выглядеть верхнепалеолитические предки индейцев на своей южно-сибирской прародине.

Ecological dimensions of population dynamics and subsistence in Neo-Eneolithic Eastern Europe

During the fourth millennium BCE socioeconomic change from a regime of Neo-Eneolithic village-based sedentary agriculture to more itinerant pastoralism dramatically changed European society. Continental-scale archaeological and genetic studies generally attribute this change to the movement of Early Bronze Age (EBA) populations into Eastern Europe ca. 3000 BCE. However, archaeological assemblages in Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania suggest that migrations and changes in subsistence regime started earlier, coinciding with climatic change during the 5.9 ka event (Bond Event 4) and continuing into the Atlantic/Subboreal transition. We apply the Ideal Free Distribution (IFD) to a settlement record spanning over 3000 years (ca. 6100–3000 BCE) in 14 sub-regions of Eastern Europe to establish a quantitative indicator of changing subsistence strategies throughout the fourth millennium BCE. This provides corroboration for arguments made on the basis of careful study of material culture, which suggest that economic changes were gradual, regionally diverse in their manifestation and pre-date the arrival of EBA populations in Eastern Europe. Our implementation of the IFD shows it to be a useful tool for highlighting changes in regional subsistence regimes, but further analysis is required to address issues of habitat ranking, migratory vectors, and settlement dating on smaller scales.

New genetic evidence of affinities and discontinuities between bronze age Siberian populations.

This work focuses on the populations of South Siberia during the Eneolithic and Bronze Age and specifically on the contribution of uniparental lineage and phenotypical data to the question of the genetic affinities and discontinuities between western and eastern populations. We performed molecular analyses on the remains of 28 ancient humans (10 Afanasievo (3600-2500 BC) and 18 Okunevo (2500-1800 BC) individuals). For each sample, two uniparentally inherited systems (mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome DNA) were studied, in order to trace back maternal and paternal lineages. Phenotype-informative SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) were also analyzed, along with autosomal STRs (Short Tandem Repeats). Most of the Afanasievo men submitted to analysis belonged to a single sub-haplogroup, R1b1a1a, which reveals the predominance of this haplogroup in these early Bronze Age populations. Conversely, Okunevo individuals carried more diverse paternal lineages that mostly belonged to Asian/Siberian haplogroups. These differences are also apparent, although less strongly, in mitochondrial lineage composition and phenotype marker variant frequencies. This study provides new elements that contribute to our understanding of the genetic interactions between populations in Eneolithic and Bronze Age southern Siberia. Our results support the hypothesis of a genetic link between Afanasievo and Yamnaya (in western Eurasia), as suggested by previous studies of other markers. However, we found no Y-chromosome lineage evidence of a possible Afanasievo migration to the Tarim Basin. Moreover, the presence of Y-haplogroup Q in Okunevo individuals links them to Native American populations, as was suggested by whole-genome sequencing.

A mosaic genetic structure of the human population living in the South Baltic region during the Iron Age

Despite the increase in our knowledge about the factors that shaped the genetic structure of the human population in Europe, the demographic processes that occurred during and after the Early Bronze Age (EBA) in Central-East Europe remain unclear. To fill the gap, we isolated and sequenced DNAs of 60 individuals from Kowalewko, a bi-ritual cemetery of the Iron Age (IA) Wielbark culture, located between the Oder and Vistula rivers (Kow-OVIA population). The collected data revealed high genetic diversity of Kow-OVIA, suggesting that it was not a small isolated population. Analyses of mtDNA haplogroup frequencies and genetic distances performed for Kow-OVIA and other ancient European populations showed that Kow-OVIA was most closely linked to the Jutland Iron Age (JIA) population. However, the relationship of both populations to the preceding Late Neolithic (LN) and EBA populations were different. We found that this phenomenon is most likely the consequence of the distinct genetic history observed for Kow-OVIA women and men. Females were related to the Early-Middle Neolithic farmers, whereas males were related to JIA and LN Bell Beakers. In general, our findings disclose the mechanisms that could underlie the formation of the local genetic substructures in the South Baltic region during the IA.

Tooth wear pattern analysis in a sample of Italian Early Bronze Age population. Proposal of a 3-D sampling sequence

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence, distribution and intensity of tooth wear in a sample of an ancient Italian population in order to explain the pattern in terms of dietary habits and/or non-dietary tooth-use behaviors during the Early Bronze Age, with a focus on possible age-group and sex differences. DesignWell-preserved permanent teeth of individuals from the Bronze Age site of Ballabio (Lecco) in northern Italy were examined for tooth wear by different methods. Eight 3D models of teeth at increasing severity of wear were created. ResultsIn total, 357 permanent teeth belonging to male and female individuals were included in the study. Dental wear was present in 96.6% of the total sample. Males showed significantly greater levels of wear than females in the mandibular teeth. Both sexes exhibited a significantly different wear direction between the anterior (oblique and flat) and posterior (oblique and concave) teeth. Significant age differences were observed in the direction and level of wear in the incisors, canines and premolars, with higher wear in the older group. Complete and rotatable virtual 3D images of different wear patterns are proposed. ConclusionsThe findings of the present study confirm the data from archaeological studies on this site and on northern Italian habits during the Early Bronze Age suggesting a diet rich in vegetables. The observed wear patterns can be related both to the diet of this Bronze age population, based on hard and abrasive food requiring vigorous mastication, and to sex differences in cultural practices.

Long Term Population, City Size and Climate Trends in the Fertile Crescent: A First Approximation

Over the last 8000 years the Fertile Crescent of the Near East has seen the emergence of urban agglomerations, small scale polities and large territorial empires, all of which had profound effects on settlement patterns. Computational approaches, including the use of remote sensing data, allow us to analyse these changes at unprecedented geographical and temporal scales. Here we employ these techniques to examine and compare long term trends in urbanisation, population and climate records. Maximum city size is used as a proxy for the intensity of urbanisation, whilst population trends are modelled from settlement densities in nine archaeological surveys conducted over the last 30 years across the region. These two measures are then compared with atmospheric moisture levels derived from multiple proxy analyses from two locations close to the study area, Soreq Cave in Israel and Lake Van in south-eastern Turkey, as well as wider literature. The earliest urban sites emerged during a period of relatively high atmospheric moisture levels and conform to a series of size thresholds. However, after the Early Bronze Age maximum urban size and population levels increase rapidly whilst atmospheric moisture declines. We argue that although the initial phase of urbanization may have been linked to climate conditions, we can see a definitive decoupling of climate and settlement patterns after 2000 BC. We relate this phenomenon to changes in socio-economic organisation and integration in large territorial empires. The complex relationships sustaining urban growth during this later period resulted in an increase in system fragility and ultimately impacted on the sustainability of cities in the long term.