Papers Ancient DNA in Post-Roman Britain Kinship Patterns and Social Organization in Early Medieval England Kinship Patterns and Social Organization in Early Medieval England The post-Roman site of Worth Matravers in Dorset presents a compelling tableau of kinship structures in early medieval England. Nestled at the western edge of Anglo-Saxon cultural influence on the scenic Isle By Sven • 3 min read
Papers Viking Age Gotland: Burial Practices of Children Viking Age Children at Ihre, Gotland: Archaeological Insights into Identity and Gender Expression Within the heart of the Viking Age, on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea, a burial site yields intriguing insights into the lives of Viking children and adults. The Ihre burial ground, one of the By Sven • 3 min read
Papers Solving the Murder Mystery of Béla, Duke of Macsó, through Forensic and Genetic Archaeology Murder in Cold Blood? Forensic and Bioarchaeological Identification In the shadows of a medieval Dominican monastery on Margaret Island in Budapest, an extraordinary tale of murder and political intrigue is resurrected through groundbreaking forensic and bioarchaeological investigations. The male remains discovered in 1915 may belong to Béla, Duke of Macsó, By Sven • 4 min read
Papers The Justinian Plague in the Eastern Roman Empire The First Pandemic: Unearthing Yersinia pestis in Jerash The intrigue of the ancient city of Jerash, once a prominent urban hub in the Eastern Roman Empire, now holds a new layer of fascination for historians and archaeologists. Nestled just 330 kilometers from the initial outbreak's historical epicenter, Pelusium By Sven • 4 min read
Papers Neanderthal Fat Factory: Discovering the Diet of Neanderthals The Neumark-Nord Site Recent archaeological research offers a captivating glimpse into the sophisticated subsistence strategies of Neanderthals at the Neumark-Nord site in Germany, around 125,000 years ago. This well-explored site provides a vivid image of the large-scale processing activities carried out by these ancient hunter-gatherers, fundamentally changing our understanding By Sven • 3 min read
Papers The Finnic Peoples of Russia: Comprehensive Analysis Using Genome-Wide and Y-Chromosomal Data The Genetic Adventure of the Finnic Peoples in Russia A Peek into the Ancient World Our journey into the genetic history of the Eastern Finnic peoples—Karelians, Veps, Votes, Ingrians, and Ingrian Finns—uncovers the rich tapestry woven over 3,000 years. Occupying vast territories of Northwestern Russia, these groups, By Sven • 4 min read
Papers Ancient DNA Unveils Secrets of the Norman Neolithic Elite Burial Practices Monumental Graves: The Fleury-sur-Orne Cemetery Monumental Graves: The Fleury-sur-Orne Cemetery The Fleury-sur-Orne cemetery in Normandy, France, stands out as a beacon of Neolithic history, revealing fascinating details about the societal hierarchies over 6,000 years ago. This site, a part of the so-called "Passy phenomenon" within the Cerny By Sven • 3 min read
Scenes from the famous Kalevala Papers Medieval Finland: Insights from Archaeogenetics Excavating Ancestral Ties: The Journey Through Ancient DNA in Finland In an ambitious endeavor to unravel the past, researchers have dived deep into the strands of ancient DNA extracted from three medieval cemeteries in Finland, shedding light on the genetic continuity and social complexities of our ancestors. The sites in By Sven • 4 min read
Papers Mapping the Ancient Pathogens: Unraveling the Evolutionary History of Human Disease in Eurasia By Sven • 4 min read
Papers Skulls, Science, and Scandal: Gustaf Retzius and the Racial Theories of 19th-Century Scandinavia The Pälkäne Skull Odyssey: From Archaeological Specimen to Genetic Breakthroughs In a captivating blend of archaeology and cutting-edge genetics, the relics of ages past are now part of a groundbreaking investigation that merges history with modern science. Thirty-three skulls that once lay beneath the sacred soil of Pälkäne's By Sven • 3 min read
Papers Ancient DNA Unlocks the Mysteries of Northern Eurasia Ancient DNA Uncovers Uralic and Yeniseian Origins An electrifying discovery has come to light, unraveling the deep history of Northern Eurasia through the lens of ancient DNA. International researchers have pieced together the genomic puzzle of Uralic and Yeniseian language-speaking populations, offering one of the most expansive genetic panoramas to By Sven • 4 min read
Papers The Story of One of Europe's Last Neanderthals Neanderthal Genetic Structure: A Discovery from Grotte Mandrin The research reveals an enlightening archaeological and genetic discovery of one of the last Neanderthals in Europe, unearthed from the limestone depths of Grotte Mandrin in the scenic Rhône River Valley, France. This ancient individual, fondly christened as "Thorin," brings By Sven • 3 min read
Papers The Kronan: Sweden's Greatest Maritime Disaster - the Face of a Kronan Crew Member Revealed By Sven • 5 min read
Papers Unearthing Ancient Egypt: The Old Kingdom Necropolis of Nuwayrat The Third Dynasty and DNA Analysis of an Ancient Individual In the charmingly convoluted labyrinth of ancient Egyptian history, the exploration of Nuwayrat in the 16th Upper Egyptian Nome unveils a tapestry woven with the lives, death practices, and societal structures of the early Old Kingdom. The necropolis, nestled north By Sven • 6 min read
Papers Unveiling Ancient Rituals: Neolithic Burials in Southern France Ancient DNA Reveals Neolithic Funerary Practices in Southern France The archaeological site of Aven de la Boucle, a karst shaft near Corconne, Gard in Southern France, unveils revealing insights into Neolithic burial customs. Used as a collective burial ground from 3,600 to 2,800 BCE, this site encompasses the By Sven • 6 min read
Papers North Sea Migrations to Britain: From Vikings to Industrial Revolution The North Sea has long served as both barrier and bridge between the peoples of Denmark and Britain, its waters carrying traders, warriors, settlers, and their stories across centuries of human history. Recent groundbreaking research involving 858,635 individuals has unveiled the remarkable genetic legacy of these maritime interactions, painting By Sven • 7 min read
Papers The Genetic History of Portugal: A 5000-Year Journey Through Time Introduction: Unveiling Portugal's Ancient DNA The exploration of ancient DNA in Portugal unveils a mesmerizing narrative extending over 5,000 years, offering a vivid tapestry of migration, interaction, and persistence among diverse populations. Researchers have embarked on an extraordinary journey through time, scrutinizing the genetic archives hidden within By Sven • 7 min read
Papers The Hungarian Conquest: Archaeological and Genetic Origins of the Magyars The Hungarian Conquest: Archaeological and Genetic Origins of the Magyars The Great Migration from the Eastern Steppes The Hungarian Conquest of the 10th century brought the remarkable Magyars into the Carpathian Basin, fundamentally changing the course of Central European history. These early medieval Magyars, a fierce confederation of mounted warriors, By Sven • 5 min read
Papers Uncovering the Genetic Mysteries of the Faroese People The Faroe Islands, a rugged and remote archipelago in the North Atlantic, is home to a remarkable population descended from a mix of Scandinavian and Celtic ancestors. This distinctive blend has been both a concoction of isolation and shared European histories, with settlements originating as far back as the 4th By Sven • 8 min read
Papers Decoding the Evolution of the Plague (Yersinia pestis) The Silent Transformation of Yersinia Pestis: A Genomic Journey Through Time The story of Yersinia pestis, the bacterium responsible for the infamous plague, weaves through our history like a phantom, affecting empires, cultures, and the very fabric of society. Recent research has dived deep into the archaeological and archival remnants By Sven • 5 min read
Papers Ancient DNA and Genetic Diversity in Post-Roman Central Europe A recent study of ancient genomes from burial sites across post-Roman Central Europe offers a fascinating window into demographic shifts and kinship structures that arose as the Roman Empire crumbled and new societies began to emerge. By examining 248 historic genomes from Late Roman and Early Medieval sites in southern By Sven • 6 min read
Papers Unearthing Pompeiis Secrets: Unveiling the Genomic Tapestry of Ancient Romans Through Paleogenomic Analysis The ancient city of Pompeii presents an extraordinary tableau of Roman life frozen at a moment in history, becoming a veritable time capsule because of the Vesuvius eruption. Archaeologists have been uncovering not only buildings and artifacts but also numerous human remains that offer a thrilling glimpse into the genetic By Sven • 6 min read
