Unusually high prevalence of cervical ribs in an 18th-Century Hungarian town: The impact of a tuberculosis epidemic.

Tuberculosis (TB) ravaged the Hungarian town of Vác in the 18th century. Nearly all of the young and middle-aged adults buried in the Dominican Church were infected with TB. Therefore, most women were likely infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) during pregnancy.

Ancient DNA reveals diverse community organizations in the 5th millennium BCE Carpathian Basin.

Little is known about the genetic connection system and community organization of Late Neolithic and Early Copper Age populations of the Carpathian Basin. Here, we present a comprehensive genetic investigation of these populations, leveraging whole genome data from 125 individuals. Using population genetics, kinship analyses and the study of networks of identity-by-descent haplotype segment sharing, we elucidate the social and genetic dynamics of these communities between 4800-3900 calibrated years BCE.

Isotope and archaeobotanical analysis reveal radical changes in mobility, diet and inequalities around 1500 BCE at the core of Europe.

The transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age (around 1500 BCE) in the Carpathian Basin was parallel by drastic cultural changes in Central-Europe, which strongly influenced the dynamic of prehistoric Europe. The cultural fragmentation of the Middle Bronze Age (2000 - 1500 BCE) Carpathian Basin was followed by a more homogeneous development at the beginning of the Late Bronze Age (1500 - 1300 BCE), with the appearance of the Tumulus culture. In the beginning of this period, the long-used tell-settlements were abandoned, furthermore new pottery styles and metal types appeared.

Ancient DNA indicates 3,000 years of genetic continuity in the Northern Iranian Plateau, from the Copper Age to the Sassanid Empire.

In this study, we present new ancient DNA data from prehistoric and historic populations of the Iranian Plateau. By analysing 50 samples from nine archaeological sites across Iran, we report 23 newly sequenced mitogenomes and 13 nuclear genomes, spanning 4700 BCE to 1300 CE. We integrate an extensive reference sample set of previously published ancient DNA datasets from Western and South-Central Asia, enhancing our understanding of genetic continuity and diversity within ancient Iranian populations.

Remarks on the Dendrobaena alpina (Rosa, 1884) species complex in the Carpathian Basin (Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae).

Our molecular phylogenetic analyses confirmed the presence of two well-separated clades, an Alpine-Carpathian-Balkanic and a Balkanic-Anatolian-Levantine group within the Dendrobaena alpina (Rosa, 1884) species group. Two specimens collected in the Retezat Mountains, the Southern Carpathians, Romania, identified as D. alpina alpina in a former study, together with the Bulgarian D.

Ancient genomes reveal trans-Eurasian connections between the European Huns and the Xiongnu Empire.

The Huns appeared in Europe in the 370s, establishing an Empire that reshaped West Eurasian history. Yet until today their origins remain a matter of extensive debate. Traditional theories link them to the Xiongnu, the founders of the first nomadic empire of the Mongolian steppe.

The genetic origin of the Indo-Europeans.

The Yamnaya archaeological complex appeared around 3300 BC across the steppes north of the Black and Caspian Seas, and by 3000 BC it reached its maximal extent, ranging from Hungary in the west to Kazakhstan in the east. To localize Yamnaya origins among the preceding Eneolithic people, we assembled ancient DNA from 435 individuals, demonstrating three genetic clines. A Caucasus-lower Volga (CLV) cline suffused with Caucasus hunter-gatherer ancestry extended between a Caucasus Neolithic southern end and a northern end at Berezhnovka along the lower Volga river.

Cultural diversity shaped neolithic subsistence in the Carpathian Basin.

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis from archaeological human and animal bone collagen is a powerful tool to enlighten past socio-agricultural systems and their close links to environmental conditions. To assess whether isotopic patterns are a function of cultural behavior or rather determined by environmental diversity, we test the spatio-temporal effects of conditional and multivariate exploratory and environmental models on stable isotope variability in the Neolithic and Chalcolithic Carpathian Basin (6000-2800 BCE). Our results stress that variation in environmental settings influence both the isotope baselines and the subsistence strategies of early agricultural societies.

Ancient DNA reveals reproductive barrier despite shared Avar-period culture.

After a long-distance migration, Avars with Eastern Asian ancestry arrived in Eastern Central Europe in 567 to 568 CE and encountered groups with very different European ancestry. We used ancient genome-wide data of 722 individuals and fine-grained interdisciplinary analysis of large seventh- to eighth-century CE neighbouring cemeteries south of Vienna (Austria) to address the centuries-long impact of this encounter. We found that even 200 years after immigration, the ancestry at one site (Leobersdorf) remained dominantly East Asian-like, whereas the other site (Mödling) shows local, European-like ancestry.

Diverse prehistoric cattle husbandry strategies in the forests of Central Europe.

During the sixth millennium BCE, the first farmers of Central Europe rapidly expanded across a varied mosaic of forested environments. Such environments would have offered important sources of mineral-rich animal feed and shelter, prompting the question: to what extent did early farmers exploit forests to raise their herds? Here, to resolve this, we have assembled multi-regional datasets, comprising bulk and compound-specific stable isotope values from zooarchaeological remains and pottery, and conducted cross-correlation analyses within a palaeo-environmental framework. Our findings reveal a diversity of pasturing strategies for cattle employed by early farmers, with a notable emphasis on intensive utilization of forests for grazing and seasonal foddering in some regions.

Long shared haplotypes identify the Southern Urals as a primary source for the 10th century Hungarians.

During the Hungarian Conquest in the 10th century CE, the early medieval Magyars, a group of mounted warriors from Eastern Europe, settled in the Carpathian Basin. They likely introduced the Hungarian language to this new settlement area, during an event documented by both written sources and archaeological evidence. Previous archaeogenetic research identified the newcomers as migrants from the Eurasian steppe.

Phylogenetic insights into the genetic legacies of Hungarian-speaking communities in the Carpathian Basin.

This study focuses on exploring the uniparental genetic lineages of Hungarian-speaking minorities residing in rural villages of Baranja (Croatia) and the Zobor region (Slovakia). We aimed to identify ancestral lineages by examining genetic markers distributed across the entire mitogenome and on the Y-chromosome. This allowed us to discern disparities in regional genetic structures within these communities.

The Genetic Origin of the Indo-Europeans.

The Yamnaya archaeological complex appeared around 3300BCE across the steppes north of the Black and Caspian Seas, and by 3000BCE reached its maximal extent from Hungary in the west to Kazakhstan in the east. To localize the ancestral and geographical origins of the Yamnaya among the diverse Eneolithic people that preceded them, we studied ancient DNA data from 428 individuals of which 299 are reported for the first time, demonstrating three previously unknown Eneolithic genetic clines. First, a "Caucasus-Lower Volga" (CLV) Cline suffused with Caucasus hunter-gatherer (CHG) ancestry extended between a Caucasus Neolithic southern end in Neolithic Armenia, and a steppe northern end in Berezhnovka in the Lower Volga.

Network of large pedigrees reveals social practices of Avar communities.

From AD 567-568, at the onset of the Avar period, populations from the Eurasian Steppe settled in the Carpathian Basin for approximately 250 years. Extensive sampling for archaeogenomics (424 individuals) and isotopes, combined with archaeological, anthropological and historical contextualization of four Avar-period cemeteries, allowed for a detailed description of the genomic structure of these communities and their kinship and social practices. We present a set of large pedigrees, reconstructed using ancient DNA, spanning nine generations and comprising around 300 individuals.

A comprehensive review of HVS-I mitochondrial DNA variation of 19 Iranian populations.

Iran is located along the Central Asian corridor, a natural artery that has served as a cross-continental route since the first anatomically modern human populations migrated out of Africa. We compiled and reanalyzed the HVS-I (hypervariable segment-I) of 3840 mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from 19 Iranian populations and from 26 groups from adjacent countries to give a comprehensive review of the maternal genetic variation and investigate the impact of historical events and cultural factors on the maternal genetic structure of modern Iranians. We conclude that Iranians have a high level of genetic diversity.

Early Neolithic pastoral land use at Alsónyék-Bátaszék, Hungary (Starčevo culture): New insights from stable isotope ratios.

The earliest introduction of livestock (cattle, goats, sheep, pigs) into the Carpathian Basin was an important step towards farming expansion into continental Europe. This spread beyond the environments of the southern Balkans was accompanied by a reduction in the spectrum of cultivated crops, changes in the relative representation of different domestic animals, and, most likely, adaptations of husbandry practices. How the earliest farmers in the Carpathian Basin kept their domestic stock is still understudied.

Interdisciplinary Analyses of Bronze Age Communities from Western Hungary Reveal Complex Population Histories.

In this study, we report 21 ancient shotgun genomes from present-day Western Hungary, from previously understudied Late Copper Age Baden, and Bronze Age Somogyvár-Vinkovci, Kisapostag, and Encrusted Pottery archeological cultures (3,530-1,620 cal Bce). Our results indicate the presence of high steppe ancestry in the Somogyvár-Vinkovci culture. They were then replaced by the Kisapostag group, who exhibit an outstandingly high (up to ∼47%) Mesolithic hunter-gatherer ancestry, despite this component being thought to be highly diluted by the time of the Early Bronze Age.

Integrating New Prehistoric Palaeopathological Finds from Hungary.

Eight newly identified pathological animal remains identified in two Middle Neolithic assemblages (ca 5330-4940 calBC) in northern and western Hungary were placed within the broader context of relevant prehistoric finds. The aim was to understand the underrepresented Middle Neolithic finds in light of the better-known cases from other prehistoric periods. The newly reported cases include arthritic and inflammatory lesions, as well as dental disorders, such as linear enamel hypoplasia, recognized for the first time in the Hungarian Neolithic.

On the molecular taxonomy of the Dendrobaena alpina species complex, with description of a new species (Crassiclitellata, Lumbricidae).

The molecular phylogenetic analysis of the D. alpina species group and related taxa revealed that this group in the present form is polyphyletic. The dark-red pigmented D.