Verwandtschaft, Abstammung und Phänotyp. Genetische Zusammensetzung mittel-neolithischer Populationen und ihre Beziehung zu sozialen Differenzierungen 3400-3000cal BC.
Zusammenfassung der Projektergebnisse
In this project, we conducted genetic analysis on 229 individuals from various Neolithic sites, including Funnel Beaker collective burials sites (3,400 - 3,000 BC) Calden, Odagsen, Großenrode, and Panker, and a Bell Beaker site Kromsdorf (2,800 - 2,000 BC). Our main goal was to understand the relationship between genetic-based kinship and sociocultural identity associated with monumentality in Northern Central Europe, specifically in Germany. For this purpose, we examined the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is maternally inherited, and the nuclear DNA, including autosomal SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) associated with pigmentation for phenotype prediction. We successfully obtained reliable mtDNA control region sequences from fourteen individuals associated with the Funnel Beaker collective burials and Kromsdorf. Eight individuals from the collective burials represented four haplotypes assigned to the four haplogroups H1, H2, HV0, and X2. All six Kromsdorf individuals had different haplotypes assigned to distinct haplogroups I1, K1, T1, U2, U5, and W5. Our study provided high-resolution data by investigating almost the entire mtDNA control region and parts of the mtDNA coding region (mtSNPs). The mtDNA results are consistent with previously published Neolithic aDNA investigations. On the other hand, our results suggest a different genetic pattern between the collective burial sites and the single burial site of Kromsdorf. Individuals from the collective burial sites showed shared maternal lineages in contrast to those from Kromsdorf. The presence of shared maternal lineages correlates with a sense of “collectiveness” argued for Funnel Beaker collective burial sites. The diversity of maternal lineages at Kromsdorf suggests that burial patterns were not determined by familial relations, in contrast to a previously published Corded Ware site (Eulau, Germany) dated to a similar period (c. 2,600 cal BC). We also analyzed the nuclear DNA but did not obtain sufficient results for geneticbased kinship analysis. This may be due to the poor preservation conditions of the skeletal remains, which is a common problem in aDNA studies. However, we obtained Y-SNP data from two Kromsdorf individuals and both were assigned to Y-haplogroup R1b. In addition, we observed the presence of a light eye color in one Panker individual. Our results from fourteen Neolithic individuals add to the growing published genetic data from the Neolithic (c. 100 individuals). Moreover, this study highlights the unique regional context of Neolithic societies in Northern Central Germany and provides another dimension to our understanding of the genetic histories during the Neolithic in Northern Central Europe.
