Recent excavations at Mala Pećina Cave in Croatia have provided new evidence for social and cultural interaction between mobile groups during the Balkan Early Neolithic.
Ancient DNA research in the past decade has revealed that European population structure changed dramatically in the prehistoric period (14,000-3,000 years before present, YBP), reflecting the widespread introduction of Neolithic farmer and Bronze Age Steppe ancestries. However, little is known about how population structure changed in the historical period onward (3,000 YBP - present). To address this, we collected whole genomes from 204 individuals from Europe and the Mediterranean, many of which are the first historical period genomes from their region (e.g. Armenia, France). We found that most regions show remarkable inter-individual heterogeneity. Around 8% of historical individuals carry ancestry uncommon in the region where they were sampled, some indicating cross-Mediterranean contacts. Despite this high level of mobility, overall population structure across western Eurasia is relatively stable through the historical period up to the present, mirroring the geographic map. We show that, under standard population genetics models with local panmixia, the observed level of dispersal would lead to a collapse of population structure. Persistent population structure thus suggests a lower effective migration rate than indicated by the observed dispersal. We hypothesize that this phenomenon can be explained by extensive transient dispersal arising from drastically improved transportation networks and the Roman Empire’s mobilization of people for trade, labor, and military. This work highlights the utility of ancient DNA in elucidating finer scale human population dynamics in recent history.
Summary
Recent excavations at Sisak, Croatia, unearthed an Early Iron Age pot filled with archaeobotanical remains within the floor of a structure dating to between the sixth and fourth centuries BC. Burnt in situ the archaeobotanical remains provide unique evidence for diet and agriculture in a region where archaeobotanical evidence is rare. The preliminary results from this analysis are outlined here, with a focus on the discovery of foxtail millet (Setaria italica [L.] P. Beauv.) and its contribution to the diet of the Early Iron Age population at Sisak.
Špilja Mala (Nova) pećina smještena je u planinskome području dalmatinskoga zaleđu koje predstavlja dodirnu zonu između istočne jadranske obale i unutrašnjosti. U arheološkim iskopavanjima u Maloj pećini istražen je rano- i kasnoneolitički špiljski lokalitet koji bi mogao biti ključan za bolje razumijevanje odnosa između obalnih zajednica te onih smještenih u zapadnobalkanskoj unutrašnjosti. U članku
će biti predstavljeni nalazi i kontekstualni podaci prikupljeni u istraživanju iz 2016. godine, kao i rezultati njihove obrade provedene 2017. godine, koji uključuju keramičke i litičke nalaze te zooarheološke
i arheobotaničke analize. Preliminarni dokazi ukazuju da špilja nije korištena kao nastamba duži vremenski period, već kao privremeno sklonište od strane zajednica koje su se kretale kroz okolne planine ili
onih koje su posjećivale špilju u sklopu kratkotrajnih aktivnosti. Iskopavanja su također ukazala na moguću razliku u korištenju špilje u ranome neolitiku s tragovima naseobinskih, ali i potencijalnih ritualnih
aktivnosti, u odnosu na kasni neolitik s isključivo pastoralnom funkcijom. Mala pećina je stoga iznimno važna za bolje razumijevanje odnosa između obale i zaleđa u razdoblju neolitika.
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