Genetische Analyse auf dem mehrperiodigen Gräberfeld von Wittmar, Ldkr. Wolfenbüttel

Abstract

To investigate demographic patterns in Neolithic farming communities, we conducted a theoretic archaeological and ancient DNA approach on the cemetery of Wittmar. Genetic studies of Neolithic groups in central Europe have provided insights into the demographic processes that have occurred during the initial transition to agriculture as well as in later Neolithic contexts. While distinct genetic patterns between indigenous hunter-gatherers and Neolithic farmers in Europe have been illustrated, it remains unresolved whether and to what degree certain genetic lineages continued/discontinued or emerged/disappeared during the 5,000 year span of the Neolithic period. In order to investigate genetic patterns after the earliest farming communities, we examined thirty-four individuals from Wittmar, Germany that represents three different Neolithic farming groups including the Rössen culture. Six individuals associated with the middle Neolithic Rössen were assigned to mitochondrial haplogroups H, HV0, U5, and K. Analysis of shared lineages indicates continuity of maternal affinities from the earliest farmers at Wittmar but also reveals intriguing patterns of genetic continuity bridging the early and later Neolithic and connections with diverse groups within the broader context of Neolithic Europe.