Tracing the spread of Germanic languages using ancient genomics
Ancient DNA and the Archaeology of the Dead The story begins not with kings, but with bones on trays and teeth in labelled tubes. Across northern and western Europe, the search for the origins of Germanic speech drew strength from graves, bogs, barrows, and battle deposits — an immense gathering of
Ancient Iranian mtDNA and skeletal identification
Elam in the Lowlands of Khuzestan In southwestern Iran, on the hot plains of Khuzestan, one of the oldest great civilizations of the ancient Near East once thrived: Elam. Though often overshadowed by Mesopotamia, Elam commanded trade routes, labour, and ideas across the Iranian Plateau. Its territory stretched from Khuzestan
Ancient DNA reveals family ties, ancestry, sex, and bone disease in degraded Song Dynasty remains
Zhangliu: A Song Dynasty Burial Ground in the Huai River World In the river-shaped landscapes of eastern China, the Zhangliu site opens a vivid window into the Song Dynasty world. Located in Huai'an, Jiangsu Province, this burial ground sits in the great meeting zone between north and southLatest Articles
Early Medieval Population History of the Rhineland
The Rhineland at the Edge of Empire The Rhineland in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages was a borderland, and borderlands are rarely quiet. For centuries the Roman world had shaped life here, building roads, forts, and a frontier along the Rhine. The river was a stage on which
Haplogroup I1a1b1b1
At Staraya Ladoga, on the Volkhov River in northwestern Russia, archaeologists are looking at one of the great hinge-points of the Viking Age. This settlement, active by the 8th and 9th centuries and tied into river routes running toward the Baltic and down toward Byzantium and the Islamic world, has
Haplogroup I1a1b1a4a1
At Staraya Ladoga, one of the best-known early hubs linking Scandinavia with the river routes of eastern Europe, an ancient male identified as VK220 lived around AD 1000. That single result is enough to make haplogroup I1a1b1a4a1 interesting, because Staraya Ladoga was not a quiet provincial village. It was a
Haplogroup I1a2a1a1a1a2a1
In around AD 1005, at Ribe in Jutland, one man now known to researchers as VK327 left behind more than bones. He also left a trace of a paternal line assigned here to I1a2a1a1a1a2a1, a very narrow branch within the wider I1 Y-chromosome family. That sounds forbiddingly technical, but the
Haplogroup R1b1a1b1a1a1c2b1b4c
In about AD 1012, at Ribe in Jutland, one man now known to us only as VK324 carried a Y-chromosome line associated here with R1b1a1b1a1a1c2b1b4c. That may sound forbiddingly technical, but the setting is anything but abstract. Ribe was one of Viking Age Scandinavia's great trading places: a
Haplogroup I1a2a1a1d1a1b2a1a
In around AD 725, a man identified as VK552 was laid to rest at Salme II on Saaremaa, the large Estonian island that sits like a gatekeeper in the eastern Baltic. He belongs to the remarkable Salme ship-burial horizon, one of the most arresting finds of the Vendel Age: armedCivilizations
Belgae Discussion
Dedicated for all DNA, Analysis Results, History, Research topics related to: Belgae The ethnic name Belgae comes from the Proto-Celtic word Bolgi which means "The People who Swell with anger or battle fury". These Celtic people lived north of the Gauls and Aquitani and differed by language, customs
Visigoths Discussion
Dedicated for all DNA, Analysis Results, History, Research topics related to: Visigoths The Visigoths emerged from earlier Germanic Gothic groups (possibly the Thervingi) who had invaded the Roman Empire beginning in 376 and had defeated the Romans at the Battle of Adrianople in 378. Relations between the Romans and the
Scythians Discussion
Dedicated for all DNA, Analysis Results, History, Research topics related to: Scythians Scythians had a reputation as the epitome of savagery and barbarism - they were among the earliest peoples to master mounted warfare. They lived in tent-covered wagons and fought with composite bows shot from horseback. With great mobility,
Ostrogoths Discussion
Dedicated for all DNA, Analysis Results, History, Research topics related to: Ostrogoths Originating from Scandinavia, the Goths of Eastern Europe were shattered when Attila and the Huns blasted onto the scene. The Gothic kingdom was split - those who crossed the Danube to enter the Roman Empire became the Visigoths.Haplogroups and Noble Lines
Haplogroup I1a1b1b1
At Staraya Ladoga, on the Volkhov River in northwestern Russia, archaeologists are looking at one of the great hinge-points of the Viking Age. This settlement, active by the 8th and 9th centuries and tied into river routes running toward the Baltic and down toward Byzantium and the Islamic world, has
Haplogroup I1a1b1a4a1
At Staraya Ladoga, one of the best-known early hubs linking Scandinavia with the river routes of eastern Europe, an ancient male identified as VK220 lived around AD 1000. That single result is enough to make haplogroup I1a1b1a4a1 interesting, because Staraya Ladoga was not a quiet provincial village. It was a
Haplogroup I1a2a1a1a1a2a1
In around AD 1005, at Ribe in Jutland, one man now known to researchers as VK327 left behind more than bones. He also left a trace of a paternal line assigned here to I1a2a1a1a1a2a1, a very narrow branch within the wider I1 Y-chromosome family. That sounds forbiddingly technical, but the
Haplogroup R1b1a1b1a1a1c2b1b4c
In about AD 1012, at Ribe in Jutland, one man now known to us only as VK324 carried a Y-chromosome line associated here with R1b1a1b1a1a1c2b1b4c. That may sound forbiddingly technical, but the setting is anything but abstract. Ribe was one of Viking Age Scandinavia's great trading places: aLatest Articles
Early Medieval Population History of the Rhineland
The Rhineland at the Edge of Empire The Rhineland in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages was a borderland, and borderlands are rarely quiet. For centuries the Roman world had shaped life here, building roads, forts, and a frontier along the Rhine. The river was a stage on which
Haplogroup I1a1b1b1
At Staraya Ladoga, on the Volkhov River in northwestern Russia, archaeologists are looking at one of the great hinge-points of the Viking Age. This settlement, active by the 8th and 9th centuries and tied into river routes running toward the Baltic and down toward Byzantium and the Islamic world, has
Haplogroup I1a1b1a4a1
At Staraya Ladoga, one of the best-known early hubs linking Scandinavia with the river routes of eastern Europe, an ancient male identified as VK220 lived around AD 1000. That single result is enough to make haplogroup I1a1b1a4a1 interesting, because Staraya Ladoga was not a quiet provincial village. It was a
Haplogroup I1a2a1a1a1a2a1
In around AD 1005, at Ribe in Jutland, one man now known to researchers as VK327 left behind more than bones. He also left a trace of a paternal line assigned here to I1a2a1a1a1a2a1, a very narrow branch within the wider I1 Y-chromosome family. That sounds forbiddingly technical, but the
Haplogroup R1b1a1b1a1a1c2b1b4c
In about AD 1012, at Ribe in Jutland, one man now known to us only as VK324 carried a Y-chromosome line associated here with R1b1a1b1a1a1c2b1b4c. That may sound forbiddingly technical, but the setting is anything but abstract. Ribe was one of Viking Age Scandinavia's great trading places: a
