Massive DNA study reveals mating customs of mysterious medieval horse riders

In 568 C.E., according to contemporary records, warlike horse riders from the Mongolian steppes called the Avars surged into the grassy plains flanking the Danube River, in roughly the territory of modern Hungary. Together with other groups from Central Asia, they formed a new power center in Europe, forcing the Byzantine Empire to pay tribute. But they left no written history. Now, using DNA from hundreds of burials—including entire Avar cemeteries—researchers have filled in some of the gaps, using kinship data to reconstruct Avar mating patterns, mobility, and even local politics. Published today in Nature , the study is the biggest example of a new trend in ancient DNA research to study not just isolated individuals , but whole communities and families. It includes the longest DNA-based family tree yet published, spanning nine generations. “The idea of doing the entire cemetery is fantastic,” says University of Florida historian Florin Curta, who was not involved with the research. “It’s a way to write history in the absence of written sources.” Ancient DNA from Avar bones had already helped clear up the question of where these nomadic people came from. In a previous study, researchers showed that many Avars buried in Hungary around 600 C.E. shared ancestry with people buried in Mongolia just a few decades earlier, implying a long-distance migration that covered more than 7000 kilometers in the space of...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research