Evidence for a patrilineal descent system for Western Eurasian Bell Beaker communities

Poignant prehistoric burials containing the remains of an adult and a child placed in a tomb as if embracing in death have long fascinated archaeologists.

Using examples from the Bronze Age of Luxembourg and Britain, a new study led by researchers at the Universities of Mainz and Ferrara and published in Scientific reportsprovides insight into family relationships in prehistoric communities and the transition from collective to individual burial in the 3rd millennium BC in Western Eurasia.

The results provide the first genetic evidence that campaniform communities in northwest Europe buried their children with their biological mothers and other close biological relatives.

Astonishing similarities between a double burial in Luxembourg and a British grave 500 kilometers away

In 2000, Luxembourg archaeologists working on the construction of a highway in the south of the country at Altwies “Op dem Boesch”, discovered tombs dated to the Bell Beaker period (2450-1800 BC). One grave contained the skeletons of a woman and a child, buried opposite each other, the adult holding the dead child’s head in her hand in a final gesture of maternal love.

As part of a new project on the prehistory of Luxembourg, this ancient family tragedy allowed a team of European researchers to answer broader questions about funeral practices and family relationships in Bronze Age Europe by using archaeology, anthropology and ancient DNA. Because the burial was not unique.

The work of Dr Foni Le Brun-Ricalens, director of the National Institute of Archaeological Research (INRA) and one of the instigators of the study, has uncovered another strangely similar tomb from a round barrow at Dunstable Downs in Bedfordshire in Great Britain – over 500 just a few miles from Altwies.

This burial, discovered in 1887, led archaeologist Dr. Maxime Brami of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz (JGU), one of the lead authors of the study, to investigate whether the two tombs were connected in some way. or another. What was the special significance of the double burial? Did the adult and child die together, perhaps violently? Did these families know each other? Why were the funeral rituals so similar? To answer these questions, a team was assembled to analyze and compare funerary objects and skeletal remains from tombs in Britain and Luxembourg.

Ancient DNA analysis reveals adults and children were closely related

The bones from Dunstable Downs were traced to the Luton Cultural Trust with the help of Elise Naish, Heritage and Collections Manager at the Luton Cultural Trust, and Dr Katie Meheux from the Institute of Archeology Library UCL. Despite their first excavation dating from the end of the 19th century, the provenance of the skeletons was well documented and the bones were in a good state of preservation.

Anthropologist Nicoletta Zedda from the University of Ferrara, lead author of the study, was able to examine the remains. In collaboration with geneticists from the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), she was able to analyze the genome of the four skeletons from the two burials of adults and children.

DNA has revealed fascinating information about common ancestry and culture in early Bronze Age Europe. The four individuals, although separated by hundreds of kilometers, trace most of their ancestry to steppe populations that migrated from eastern and central Europe in the 3rd millennium BC. Perhaps more significant are the intriguing family relationships revealed.

“The Altwies skeletons were those of a woman and a boy of about 3 years old, and DNA analysis revealed that they were indeed the mother and son,” explained Dr. Nicoletta Zedda. “The picture is different for Dunstable Downs: a young woman and a girl around 6 years old, but DNA revealed that they were in fact an aunt and a paternal niece.”

Genetic data suggests a patrilineal descent system

In continental Europe, the orientation of bellflower tombs followed strict rules based on the sex of the individual. In Altwies, the orientation of the grave corresponded to the sex of the child, male, and not that of his biological mother. At Dunstable Downs, the adult and child were second degree relatives on the paternal side, suggesting that here a paternal aunt may have acted as a substitute parent or primary caregiver for the child , at least in the event of death.

“The data could hint at a patrilineal descent system for the Bell Beaker peoples of Western Eurasia,” said archaeologist Dr Maxime Brami. “And our results suggest that, at least in some Early Bronze Age communities, extended families lived and buried their dead together, emphasizing biological and familial relationships.”

A very codified funeral practice with a lost meaning

The cause of death and the reasons for the common burial are still unknown. No marks of violence were found on the skeletons. Further research as part of the project revealed more than a hundred common adult and child burials similar to those described here across Eurasia, dating from the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC.

Researchers could offer many explanations for the common burials and simultaneous deaths, perhaps violence, infections or pandemics, but the astonishing similarities between burials from Luxembourg and Britain suggest that communities, and perhaps even be the families, in Bell Beaker Europe mourned their dead according to a wide opinion. held and closely followed formal rituals.

“The body of a woman, lying as if sleeping, clutching a child in her arms, is poignant and moving. Although this peaceful image can be deceptive, it still reflects a lost meaning preserved across thousands of miles and among many diverse cultures.” said Dr. Maxime Brami.