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Fischer A, Sjögren KG, Jensen TZT, Jørkov ML, Lysdahl P, Vimala T, Refoyo-Martínez A, Scorrano G, Price TD, Gröcke DR, Gotfredsen AB, Sørensen L, Alexandersen V, Wåhlin S, Stenderup J, Bennike O, Ingason A, Iversen R, Sikora M, Racimo F, Willerslev E, Allentoft ME, Kristiansen K. Vittrup Man-The life-history of a genetic foreigner in Neolithic Denmark. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0297032. [PMID: 38354111 PMCID: PMC10866469 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The lethally maltreated body of Vittrup Man was deposited in a Danish bog, probably as part of a ritualised sacrifice. It happened between c. 3300 and 3100 cal years BC, i.e., during the period of the local farming-based Funnel Beaker Culture. In terms of skull morphological features, he differs from the majority of the contemporaneous farmers found in Denmark, and associates with hunter-gatherers, who inhabited Scandinavia during the previous millennia. His skeletal remains were selected for transdisciplinary analysis to reveal his life-history in terms of a population historical perspective. We report the combined results of an integrated set of genetic, isotopic, physical anthropological and archaeological analytical approaches. Strontium signature suggests a foreign birthplace that could be in Norway or Sweden. In addition, enamel oxygen isotope values indicate that as a child he lived in a colder climate, i.e., to the north of the regions inhabited by farmers. Genomic data in fact demonstrates that he is closely related to Mesolithic humans known from Norway and Sweden. Moreover, dietary stable isotope analyses on enamel and bone collagen demonstrate a fisher-hunter way of life in his childhood and a diet typical of farmers later on. Such a variable life-history is also reflected by proteomic analysis of hardened organic deposits on his teeth, indicating the consumption of forager food (seal, whale and marine fish) as well as farmer food (sheep/goat). From a dietary isotopic transect of one of his teeth it is shown that his transfer between societies of foragers and farmers took place near to the end of his teenage years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Fischer
- Department of Historical Studies, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Sealand Archaeology, Kalundborg, Denmark
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Karl-Göran Sjögren
- Department of Historical Studies, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | - Marie Louise Jørkov
- Laboratory of Biological Anthropology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Per Lysdahl
- Vendsyssel Historical Museum, Hjørring, Denmark
| | - Tharsika Vimala
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | | | | | - T. Douglas Price
- Department of Historical Studies, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Laboratory for Archaeological Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Darren R. Gröcke
- Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, Durham, England, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Verner Alexandersen
- Laboratory of Biological Anthropology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Jesper Stenderup
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Ole Bennike
- Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Andrés Ingason
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen K, Denmark
- Institute of Biological Psychiatry, Mental Health Services, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rune Iversen
- The Saxo Institute—Section of Archaeology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen S, Denmark
| | - Martin Sikora
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Fernando Racimo
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Eske Willerslev
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen K, Denmark
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Morten E. Allentoft
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen K, Denmark
- Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
| | - Kristian Kristiansen
- Department of Historical Studies, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen K, Denmark
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Oras E, Tõrv M, Johanson K, Rannamäe E, Poska A, Lõugas L, Lucquin A, Lundy J, Brown S, Chen S, Varul L, Haferberga V, Legzdiņa D, Zariņa G, Cramp L, Heyd V, Reay M, Pospieszny Ł, Robson HK, Nordqvist K, Heron C, Craig OE, Kriiska A. Parallel worlds and mixed economies: multi-proxy analysis reveals complex subsistence systems at the dawn of early farming in the northeast Baltic. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230880. [PMID: 37800159 PMCID: PMC10548101 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
The transition from foraging to farming was a key turning point in ancient socio-economies. Yet, the complexities and regional variations of this transformation are still poorly understood. This multi-proxy study provides a new understanding of the introduction and spread of early farming, challenging the notions of hierarchical economies. The most extensive biological and biomolecular dietary overview, combining zooarchaeological, archaeobotanical, dietary stable isotope and pottery lipid residue analyses is presented, to unravel the nature and extent of early farming in the 3rd millennium cal BCE in the northeast Baltic. Farming was introduced by incoming Corded Ware cultural groups (CWC), but some dietary segregation existed within these communities, with some having more access to domesticates, others incorporating more wild resources into their diet. The CWC groups coexisted in parallel with local hunter-fisher-gatherers (HFG) without any indication of the adoption of domesticates. There was no transition from foraging to farming in the 3rd millennium cal BCE in the NE Baltic. Instead, we see a complex system of parallel worlds with local HFGs continuing forager lifeways, and incoming farmers practising mixed economies, with the continuation of these subsistence strategies for at least a millennium after the first encounter with domesticated animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ester Oras
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila 14 a, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
- Institute of History and Archaeology, University of Tartu, Jakobi 2, 51005 Tartu, Estonia
- Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (SCAS), Linneanum, Thunbergsvägen 2, 75238 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mari Tõrv
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila 14 a, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
- Institute of History and Archaeology, University of Tartu, Jakobi 2, 51005 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Kristiina Johanson
- Institute of History and Archaeology, University of Tartu, Jakobi 2, 51005 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Eve Rannamäe
- Institute of History and Archaeology, University of Tartu, Jakobi 2, 51005 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Anneli Poska
- Department of Geology, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate Tee 5, 19086 Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Lembi Lõugas
- Archaeological Research Collection, Tallinn University, Rüütli 10, 10130 Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Alexandre Lucquin
- BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, Environment Building, Wentworth Way, YO10 5DD York, UK
| | - Jasmine Lundy
- BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, Environment Building, Wentworth Way, YO10 5DD York, UK
| | - Samantha Brown
- Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Rümelinstrasse 23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Shidong Chen
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila 14 a, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Liivi Varul
- School of Humanities, Division of History, Tallinn University, Narva rd 25, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Vanda Haferberga
- Institute of Latvian History, University of Latvia, Kalpaka blvd 4, LV-1050 Riga, Latvia
| | - Dardega Legzdiņa
- Institute of Latvian History, University of Latvia, Kalpaka blvd 4, LV-1050 Riga, Latvia
| | - Gunita Zariņa
- Institute of Latvian History, University of Latvia, Kalpaka blvd 4, LV-1050 Riga, Latvia
| | - Lucy Cramp
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Bristol, 43 Woodland Road, BS8 1UU Bristol, UK
| | - Volker Heyd
- Department of Cultures, University of Helsinki, Unioninkatu 38, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Michaela Reay
- Organic Geochemistry Unit, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, BS8 1TS Bristol, UK
| | - Łukasz Pospieszny
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Bristol, 43 Woodland Road, BS8 1UU Bristol, UK
- Institute of Archaeology, University of Gdańsk, ul. Bielańska 5, 80-851 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Harry K. Robson
- BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, Environment Building, Wentworth Way, YO10 5DD York, UK
| | - Kerkko Nordqvist
- Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, University of Helsinki, Fabianinkatu 24, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Carl Heron
- Department of Scientific Research, The British Museum, WC1B 3DG London, UK
| | - Oliver E. Craig
- BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, Environment Building, Wentworth Way, YO10 5DD York, UK
| | - Aivar Kriiska
- Institute of History and Archaeology, University of Tartu, Jakobi 2, 51005 Tartu, Estonia
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Coutinho A, Günther T, Munters AR, Svensson EM, Götherström A, Storå J, Malmström H, Jakobsson M. The Neolithic Pitted Ware culture foragers were culturally but not genetically influenced by the Battle Axe culture herders. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 172:638-649. [PMID: 32497286 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES In order to understand contacts between cultural spheres in the third millennium BC, we investigated the impact of a new herder culture, the Battle Axe culture, arriving to Scandinavia on the people of the sub-Neolithic hunter-gatherer Pitted Ware culture. By investigating the genetic make-up of Pitted Ware culture people from two types of burials (typical Pitted Ware culture burials and Battle Axe culture-influenced burials), we could determine the impact of migration and the impact of cultural influences. METHODS We sequenced and analyzed the genomes of 25 individuals from typical Pitted Ware culture burials and from Pitted Ware culture burials with Battle Axe culture influences in order to determine if the different burial types were associated with different gene-pools. RESULTS The genomic data show that all individuals belonged to one genetic population-a population associated with the Pitted Ware culture-irrespective of the burial style. CONCLUSION We conclude that the Pitted Ware culture communities were not impacted by gene-flow, that is, via migration or exchange of mates. These different cultural expressions in the Pitted Ware culture burials are instead a consequence of cultural exchange.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Coutinho
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Torsten Günther
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Arielle R Munters
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Emma M Svensson
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anders Götherström
- Archaeological Research Laboratory, Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jan Storå
- Osteoarchaeological Research Laboratory, Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Helena Malmström
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,Centre for Anthropological Research, Department of Anthropology and Development Studies, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, South Africa
| | - Mattias Jakobsson
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,Centre for Anthropological Research, Department of Anthropology and Development Studies, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, South Africa
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