Archaeobotanical investigations at the earliest horse herder site of Botai in Kazakhstan

Matuzevičiūtė, Giedrė Motuzaitė; Lightfoot, Emma; Liu, X.; Jacob, Jérémy; Outram, Alan K.; Zaibert, Victor; Zakharov, S. D.; Jones, Martin K.

doi:10.1007/s12520-019-00924-2

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 53 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In the northern forested regions of this boundary zone, HG societies persisted until the emergence of the CWC around 5,000 cal. BP, whereas in the southern and eastern steppe regions, hunting and gathering was eventually complemented with some animal husbandry (cattle and sheep), and possibly horse herding in central Asia 71 . Some of these groups, such as Khvalynsk at the Volga saw the emergence of male sodalities involved in wide-ranging trade connections of copper objects from east central Europe and the Caucasus 29 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population genomics of postglacial western eurasia

Allentoft

Sikora

Refoyo-Martínez

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The transitions from foraging to farming and later to pastoralism in Stone Age Eurasia (c. 11-3 thousand years before present, BP) represent some of the most dramatic lifestyle changes in human evolution. We sequenced 317 genomes of primarily Mesolithic and Neolithic individuals from across Eurasia combined with radiocarbon dates, stable isotope data, and pollen records. Genome imputation and co-analysis with previously published shotgun sequencing data resulted in >1600 complete ancient genome sequences offering fine-grained resolution into the Stone Age populations. We observe that: 1) Hunter-gatherer groups were more genetically diverse than previously known, and deeply divergent between western and eastern Eurasia. 2) We identify hitherto genetically undescribed hunter-gatherers from the Middle Don region that contributed ancestry to the later Yamnaya steppe pastoralists; 3) The genetic impact of the Neolithic transition was highly distinct, east and west of a boundary zone extending from the Black Sea to the Baltic. Large-scale shifts in genetic ancestry occurred to the west of this "Great Divide", including an almost complete replacement of hunter-gatherers in Denmark, while no substantial ancestry shifts took place during the same period to the east. This difference is also reflected in genetic relatedness within the populations, decreasing substantially in the west but not in the east where it remained high until c. 4,000 BP; 4) The second major genetic transformation around 5,000 BP happened at a much faster pace with Steppe-related ancestry reaching most parts of Europe within 1,000-years. Local Neolithic farmers admixed with incoming pastoralists in eastern, western, and southern Europe whereas Scandinavia experienced another near-complete population replacement. Similar dramatic turnover-patterns are evident in western Siberia; 5) Extensive regional differences in the ancestry components involved in these early events remain visible to this day, even within countries. Neolithic farmer ancestry is highest in southern and eastern England while Steppe-related ancestry is highest in the Celtic populations of Scotland, Wales, and Cornwall (this research has been conducted using the UK Biobank resource); 6) Shifts in diet, lifestyle and environment introduced new selection pressures involving at least 21 genomic regions. Most such variants were not universally selected across populations but were only advantageous in particular ancestral backgrounds. Contrary to previous claims, we find that selection on the FADS regions, associated with fatty acid metabolism, began before the Neolithisation of Europe. Similarly, the lactase persistence allele started increasing in frequency before the expansion of Steppe-related groups into Europe and has continued to increase up to the present. Along the genetic cline separating Mesolithic hunter-gatherers from Neolithic farmers, we find significant correlations with trait associations related to skin disorders, diet and lifestyle and mental health status, suggesting marked phenotypic differences between these groups with very different lifestyles. This work provides new insights into major transformations in recent human evolution, elucidating the complex interplay between selection and admixture that shaped patterns of genetic variation in modern populations.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population genomics of postglacial western eurasia

Allentoft

Sikora

Refoyo-Martínez

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the northern forested regions of this boundary zone, HG societies persisted until the emergence of the CWC around 5,000 cal. bp , whereas in the southern and eastern steppe regions, hunting and gathering was eventually complemented with some animal husbandry (cattle and sheep), and possibly horse herding in central Asia 72 . Some of these groups, such as Khvalynsk at the Volga, saw the emergence of male sodalities involved in wide-ranging trade connections of copper objects from east central Europe and the Caucasus 29 .…”

Section: Formation and Dissolution Of The Dividementioning

confidence: 99%

Population genomics of post-glacial western Eurasia

Allentoft,

Sikora,

Refoyo-Martínez

et al. 2024

Nature

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Western Eurasia witnessed several large-scale human migrations during the Holocene1–5. Here, to investigate the cross-continental effects of these migrations, we shotgun-sequenced 317 genomes—mainly from the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods—from across northern and western Eurasia. These were imputed alongside published data to obtain diploid genotypes from more than 1,600 ancient humans. Our analyses revealed a ‘great divide’ genomic boundary extending from the Black Sea to the Baltic. Mesolithic hunter-gatherers were highly genetically differentiated east and west of this zone, and the effect of the neolithization was equally disparate. Large-scale ancestry shifts occurred in the west as farming was introduced, including near-total replacement of hunter-gatherers in many areas, whereas no substantial ancestry shifts happened east of the zone during the same period. Similarly, relatedness decreased in the west from the Neolithic transition onwards, whereas, east of the Urals, relatedness remained high until around 4,000 bp, consistent with the persistence of localized groups of hunter-gatherers. The boundary dissolved when Yamnaya-related ancestry spread across western Eurasia around 5,000 bp, resulting in a second major turnover that reached most parts of Europe within a 1,000-year span. The genetic origin and fate of the Yamnaya have remained elusive, but we show that hunter-gatherers from the Middle Don region contributed ancestry to them. Yamnaya groups later admixed with individuals associated with the Globular Amphora culture before expanding into Europe. Similar turnovers occurred in western Siberia, where we report new genomic data from a ‘Neolithic steppe’ cline spanning the Siberian forest steppe to Lake Baikal. These prehistoric migrations had profound and lasting effects on the genetic diversity of Eurasian populations.

show abstract

“…At Botai horses are not just a major focus but represent well over 99% of the faunal assemblage (Olsen, 2006a;Anthony, 2007). Furthermore, extensive flotation sieving and archaeobotanic analyses at Botai have not identified significant plant food sources (Motuzaite Matuzeviciute et al, 2019). Through recent archaeological fieldwork, it is now clear that this Eneolithic phenomenon extends further east to the catchment of the River Irtysh.…”

Section: Archaeological Background To the Neolithic Eneolithic And Br...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Horse domestication as a multi-centered, multi-stage process: Botai and the role of specialized Eneolithic horse pastoralism in the development of human-equine relationships

Outram¹

2023

Front. Environ. Archaeol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

For over a decade there has been general, but not universal, consensus that the earliest known evidence for horse husbandry was at Eneolithic Botai, Kazakhstan, circa 3,500 BCE. Recent ancient genomic analyses, however, indicate that Botai is not the source of modern domestic horse stock (DOM2 lineage), but is instead related to the Przewalski clade of horses. DOM2 appears to instead to have emerged in early Bronze Age (mid 3rd Mill. BCE) in the Pontic-Caspian steppe, and spread quickly replacing other horse lineages after approximately 2,000 BCE. Whilst the specific evidence for earlier husbandry at Botai is not diminished by this evidence, it has broken the consensus regarding the early stages of horse domestication, with some now viewing it as a later event. This paper argues that domestication is rarely an event, but instead a process that is ongoing. The case is made for a “prey pathway” initial phase of domestication in multiple localities during the Eneolithic, which was based around local subsistence pastoralist niche construction. This took different forms due to the presence or absence of ruminant domestic stock in the Eastern European or Central Asian steppes, respectively. Whilst “push” factors likely played a part in the development of horse specialist pastoralism at Botai, it is suggested that “pull” factors accelerated the spread of DOM2 lineages, replacing others, in the later Bronze Age. The DOM2 spread was principally driven, not by local subsistence needs, but wider social, economic and military desirability of equestrianism. The long-term process of horse domestication continues in modernity with major breed changes caused first by the post-medieval agricultural revolution and, more currently, the desire for sporting achievement.

show abstract

Archaeobotanical investigations at the earliest horse herder site of Botai in Kazakhstan

Cited by 7 publications

References 53 publications

Population genomics of postglacial western eurasia

Population genomics of postglacial western eurasia

Population genomics of post-glacial western Eurasia

Horse domestication as a multi-centered, multi-stage process: Botai and the role of specialized Eneolithic horse pastoralism in the development of human-equine relationships

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About