Summary
Horse domestication revolutionized warfare and accelerated travel, trade, and the geographic expansion of languages. Here, we present the largest DNA time series for a non-human organism to date, including genome-scale data from 149 ancient animals and 129 ancient genomes (≥1-fold coverage), 87 of which are new. This extensive dataset allows us to assess the modern legacy of past equestrian civilizations. We find that two extinct horse lineages existed during early domestication, one at the far western (Iberia) and the other at the far eastern range (Siberia) of Eurasia. None of these contributed significantly to modern diversity. We show that the influence of Persian-related horse lineages increased following the Islamic conquests in Europe and Asia. Multiple alleles associated with elite-racing, including at the MSTN “speed gene,” only rose in popularity within the last millennium. Finally, the development of modern breeding impacted genetic diversity more dramatically than the previous millennia of human management.
We investigated the genetic composition of six Canis remains from western Iberia, directly radiocarbon dated to 7,903-7,570 years (cal BP). They were identified as dogs via their archaeological and depositional context, osteometry, and a high percentage of aquatic diet shared with humans. For comparison, genetic data were obtained from an additional 37 Iberian dog remains from the Neolithic to Late Antiquity, as well as two Palaeolithic and a Chalcolithic Canis identified as wolves. Previous data indicated that dog mtDNA haplogroup A (HgA) is prevalent in extant European dogs (>50%), in the Near East and Asia, but rare or absent (<10%) in European Canis older than 3,000 years (cal BP). We found a high frequency (83%) of dog HgA in Mesolithic Iberian dog remains. This is the first report of a high frequency of dog HgA in pre-Neolithic Europe. We show that, contrary to the current view, Canis with HgA did not necessarily arrive in Europe from East-Asia. This phylogeographical difference in HgA frequency demonstrates that genetic differentiation was high prior to, or as a consequence of, domestication which may be linked with pre-Neolithic local processes for Iberian wolf domestication. Our results emphasize that knowledge of both ancient wolves' and early dogs' genetic profiles from the European periphery should improve our understanding of the evolution of the European dog.
This study proposes a new nondestructive methodology that combines micro-Raman spectroscopy and micro-X-ray diffraction (μ-XRD), complemented by variable pressure scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, to determine the composition of glass artifacts and the manufacturing techniques employed in their production. The use of micro-Raman spectroscopy revealed that most samples belong to the alkaline glass family. Chemical analysis also allowed the identification of the main colorants used in the manufacture of the glass beads in this study. Dark blue and turquoise glass were colored using cobalt ions and copper ions, respectively.Amber or light brown hues were produced using the iron-sulfur amber chromophore. Iron ions were also used to produce green, yellow, cream-colored gray, and black hues. White glass was produced using calcium antimonate phases. These compounds, identified by micro-Raman spectroscopy and μ-XRD, were also used as opacifying agents. This study highlights the importance of using micro-Raman spectroscopy in the study of ancient glass artifacts. In fact, micro-Raman spectroscopy not only allows the determination of the glass family of heavily degraded samples but was also found to be the only technique capable of identifying evidences of the rearrangement of the silicate network following selective leaching. The combined use of micro-Raman spectroscopy and μ-XRD permitted the identification of the opacifying agents and heat treatment used in the manufacture of the opaque glass beads in this study.
This study focuses on the analysis of Islamic ceramics from the Alcaçova of Santarém, Portugal. To establish the ceramic raw material provenance and ceramic technology, a set of raw materials was sampled and compared with the archaeological ceramics. Raw materials were dry sieved to increase the clay content, to reconstruct the ceramist homogenization process, and to evaluate chemical and mineralogical variation. Results showed that two raw materials were selected for local ceramic production, whereas some artefacts were imported.
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