Ancient DNA, Strontium isotopes, and osteological analyses shed light on social and kinship organization of the Later Stone Age

Abstract

oward the end of the Central European Neolithic, in the third millennium B.C., the cultural complex of the Corded Ware Culture (CWC) forms one of the major archaeological entities in Europe (Fig. 1) (1). A characteristic and eponymous feature is the decoration of pots by impressions of a twisted cord. Varying groups can be recognized between the Moskva River and the Swiss lakes, between Southern Scandinavia and the Carpathians (2). Graves and grave goods are the main source of information, whereas settlement structures are rarely encountered (3). A large number of graves, sometimes with burial mounds, indicate a high population density in the area of the rivers Elbe and Saale during this period (4). The CWC elements of the Mittelelbe-Saale group (our region of study) are estimated to occur at 2700 cal B.C. using radiocarbon dates, and the end can be fixed at about 2200 to 2000 cal B.C. (5). In the latest phases, we observe a temporal overlap with the Bell Beaker Culture and the Unetice Culture. The skeletal remains of our ancestors, their grave goods, and mortuary practices are valuable sources of biological, cultural, and socio-historical information. The detailed analysis of burial grounds, one of the major sources of information, is where most scientific disciplines concerned with prehistory meet and interact best. During the CWC, the dead are placed in a flexed position, with men’s heads oriented to the west, while the women’s heads are to the east (4). As a consequence, males are resting on their right sides, females on their left, with both sexes facing south. Exceptions to this rule are rare in the CWC. Compared to other Neolithic cultures, double and multiple burials are also common in CWC contexts radiocarbon dated to 2700 to 2400 (2200) B.C. In many cases, however, such multiple interments are because of secondary burials; that is, they represent multiple-phase collective burials rather than single inhumations (6). 18226 –18231 兩 PNAS 兩 November 25, 2008 兩 vol. 105 兩 no. 47