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Tracing the genetic origin of Europe’s first farmers reveals insights into their social organization

View ORCID ProfileAnna Szécsényi-Nagy, View ORCID ProfileGuido Brandt, View ORCID ProfileVictoria Keerl, View ORCID ProfileJános Jakucs, View ORCID ProfileWolfgang Haak, View ORCID ProfileSabine Möller-Rieker, View ORCID ProfileKitti Köhler, View ORCID ProfileBalázs Gusztáv Mende, View ORCID ProfileMarc Fecher, View ORCID ProfileKrisztián Oross, View ORCID ProfileTibor Marton, View ORCID ProfileAnett Osztás, View ORCID ProfileViktória Kiss, View ORCID ProfileGyörgy Pálfi, View ORCID ProfileErika Molnár, View ORCID ProfileKatalin Sebők, View ORCID ProfileAndrás Czene, View ORCID ProfileTibor Paluch, View ORCID ProfileMario Šlaus, View ORCID ProfileMario Novak, View ORCID ProfileNives Pećina-Šlaus, View ORCID ProfileBrigitta Ősz, View ORCID ProfileVanda Voicsek, View ORCID ProfileKrisztina Somogyi, View ORCID ProfileGábor Tóth, View ORCID ProfileBernd Kromer, View ORCID ProfileEszter Bánffy, View ORCID ProfileKurt W. Alt
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/008664
Anna Szécsényi-Nagy
1Institute of Anthropology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
2Archaeological Institute, Research Centre for the Humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1014 Budapest, Hungary
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Guido Brandt
1Institute of Anthropology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
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Victoria Keerl
1Institute of Anthropology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
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János Jakucs
2Archaeological Institute, Research Centre for the Humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1014 Budapest, Hungary
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Wolfgang Haak
3Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, AUS-5005 University of Adelaide, Australia
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Sabine Möller-Rieker
1Institute of Anthropology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
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Kitti Köhler
2Archaeological Institute, Research Centre for the Humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1014 Budapest, Hungary
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Balázs Gusztáv Mende
2Archaeological Institute, Research Centre for the Humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1014 Budapest, Hungary
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Marc Fecher
1Institute of Anthropology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
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Krisztián Oross
2Archaeological Institute, Research Centre for the Humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1014 Budapest, Hungary
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Tibor Marton
2Archaeological Institute, Research Centre for the Humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1014 Budapest, Hungary
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Anett Osztás
2Archaeological Institute, Research Centre for the Humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1014 Budapest, Hungary
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Viktória Kiss
2Archaeological Institute, Research Centre for the Humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1014 Budapest, Hungary
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György Pálfi
4Department of Biological Anthropology, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary
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Erika Molnár
4Department of Biological Anthropology, University of Szeged, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary
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Katalin Sebők
5Institute of Archaeological Sciences, University of ELTE, H-1088 Budapest, Hungary
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András Czene
6Directorate of Pest County Museums, H-2000 Szentendre, Hungary
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Tibor Paluch
7Móra Ferenc Museum, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary
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Mario Šlaus
8Anthropological center, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
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Mario Novak
9School of Archaeology, University College Dublin, 4 Dublin, Ireland
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Nives Pećina-Šlaus
10Department of Biology, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
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Brigitta Ősz
11National Heritage Protection Centre of the Hungarian National Museum, Department Pécs, 7621 Pécs, Hungary
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Vanda Voicsek
11National Heritage Protection Centre of the Hungarian National Museum, Department Pécs, 7621 Pécs, Hungary
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Krisztina Somogyi
5Institute of Archaeological Sciences, University of ELTE, H-1088 Budapest, Hungary
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Gábor Tóth
12Biology Department, University of West Hungary, H-9700 Szombathely, Hungary
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Bernd Kromer
13Curt-Engelhorn-Centre for Archaeometry, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany
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Eszter Bánffy
2Archaeological Institute, Research Centre for the Humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1014 Budapest, Hungary
14German Archaeological Institute, Roman-Germanic Commission, D-60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Kurt W. Alt
1Institute of Anthropology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
15State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt and Heritage Museum, D-06114 Halle, Germany
16Institute for Prehistory and Archaeological Science, University of Basel, 4003 Basel, Switzerland,
17Danube Private University, A-3500 Krems, Austria.
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Abstract

Farming was established in Central Europe by the Linearbandkeramik culture (LBK), a well-investigated archaeological horizon, which emerged in the Carpathian Basin, in today’s Hungary. However, the genetic background of the LBK genesis has not been revealed yet. Here we present 9 Y chromosomal and 84 mitochondrial DNA profiles from Mesolithic, Neolithic Starčevo and LBK sites (7th/6th millennium BC) from the Carpathian Basin and south-eastern Europe. We detect genetic continuity of both maternal and paternal elements during the initial spread of agriculture, and confirm the substantial genetic impact of early farming south-eastern European and Carpathian Basin cultures on Central European populations of the 6th-4th millennium BC. Our comprehensive Y chromosomal and mitochondrial DNA population genetic analyses demonstrate a clear affinity of the early farmers to the modern Near East and Caucasus, tracing the expansion from that region through south-eastern Europe and the Carpathian Basin into Central Europe. Our results also reveal contrasting patterns for male and female genetic diversity in the European Neolithic, suggesting patrilineal descent system and patrilocal residential rules among the early farmers.

Author Summary We report an exceptional large Neolithic DNA dataset from the Carpathian Basin, which was the cradle of the first Central European farming culture, the so called Linearbandkeramik culture. We generated 9 Y chromosomal and 84 mitochondrial DNA profiles from Mesolithic and Neolithic specimens from western Hungary and Croatia, attributed to the hunter-gatherers, Starčevo and LBK cultures (7th/6th millennium BC). We observe genetic discontinuity between Mesolithic foragers and early farmers, and genetic continuity between farming populations of the 6th-4th millennium BC across a vast territory of southeastern and Central Europe. Nine novel Y chromosome DNA profiles offer first insights into the Y chromosome diversity of the earliest European farmers, and further support the migration (demic diffusion) from the Near East into Central Europe along the Continental route of Neolithisation. The joint analyses of the two uniparental genetic systems let us conclude that men and women had a similar roles in the Early Neolithic migration process but their dispersal patterns were determined by sex-specific rules.

  • Glossary

    aDNA
    Ancient DNA
    AMOVA
    Analysis of molecular variance ASHA Ancestral shared haplotype analysis
    HVS I/II
    Hyper Variable Segment I or II of the mitochondrial genome
    LBK
    Linearbandkeramik or Linear Pottery culture in Central Europe (refer to published LBK data from the Czech Republic, Lower Austria, and Germany)
    LBKT
    Linearbandkeramik or Linear Pottery culture in western Hungary/Transdanubia
    MDS
    Multidimensional scaling
    mtDNA
    Mitochondrial DNA
    np
    Nucleotide position
    NRY
    Non-recombining part of the Y chromosome PCA Principal component analysis
    SNP
    Single nucleotide polymorphism
    STA
    Starčevo culture
    TPC
    Test of population continuity
  • Copyright 
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    Posted September 03, 2014.
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    Tracing the genetic origin of Europe’s first farmers reveals insights into their social organization
    Anna Szécsényi-Nagy, Guido Brandt, Victoria Keerl, János Jakucs, Wolfgang Haak, Sabine Möller-Rieker, Kitti Köhler, Balázs Gusztáv Mende, Marc Fecher, Krisztián Oross, Tibor Marton, Anett Osztás, Viktória Kiss, György Pálfi, Erika Molnár, Katalin Sebők, András Czene, Tibor Paluch, Mario Šlaus, Mario Novak, Nives Pećina-Šlaus, Brigitta Ősz, Vanda Voicsek, Krisztina Somogyi, Gábor Tóth, Bernd Kromer, Eszter Bánffy, Kurt W. Alt
    bioRxiv 008664; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/008664
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    Tracing the genetic origin of Europe’s first farmers reveals insights into their social organization
    Anna Szécsényi-Nagy, Guido Brandt, Victoria Keerl, János Jakucs, Wolfgang Haak, Sabine Möller-Rieker, Kitti Köhler, Balázs Gusztáv Mende, Marc Fecher, Krisztián Oross, Tibor Marton, Anett Osztás, Viktória Kiss, György Pálfi, Erika Molnár, Katalin Sebők, András Czene, Tibor Paluch, Mario Šlaus, Mario Novak, Nives Pećina-Šlaus, Brigitta Ősz, Vanda Voicsek, Krisztina Somogyi, Gábor Tóth, Bernd Kromer, Eszter Bánffy, Kurt W. Alt
    bioRxiv 008664; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/008664

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