Maternal Genetic Composition of a Medieval Population from a Hungarian-Slavic Contact Zone in Central Europe

Abstract

The genetic composition of the medieval populations of Central Europe has been poorly investigated to date. In particular, the region of modern-day Slovakia is a blank spot in archaeogenetic research. This paper reports the study of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in ancient samples from the 9th–12th centuries originating from the cemeteries discovered in Nitra-Šindolka and Čakajovce, located in western Slovakia (Central Europe). This geographical region is interesting to study because its medieval multi-ethnic population lived in the so-called contact zone of the territory of the Great Moravian and later Hungarian state formations. We described 16 different mtDNA haplotypes in 19 individuals, which belong to the most widespread European mtDNA haplogroups: H, J, T, U and R0. Using comparative statistical and population genetic analyses, we showed the differentiation of the European gene pool in the medieval period. We also demonstrated the heterogeneous genetic characteristics of the investigated population and its affinity to the populations of modern Europe.

Detection of mitochondrial haplogroups in a small avar‐slavic population from the eigth–ninth century AD

“…The legend shows the color code of compared historical Eurasian populations. Abbreviations and references for individual populations: HUN_C, population from Hungarian conquest‐period (Hungary) (Csösz et al, 2016; Tömöry et al, ); HUN_AV, medieval Avar population (Hungary) (Csösz et al, 2016) ; CB_CZ, two medieval Hungarian‐Slavic contact zone populations (Slovakia, Croatia) (Csákyová et al, ; Csösz et al, 2016); HUN_L, medieval Lombard population from Szölád (Hungary) (Alt et al, ); ITA_L, medieval Lombards from Piedmont region (Italy) (Vai et al, ); ITA_m, medieval population from Tuscany (Italy) (Guimaraes et al, ); SPA_m, medieval Spaniard population (Spain) (Alzualde et al, ); POL_m, medieval Slavic population (Poland) (Juras et al, 2015); ICE_m, medieval Icelandic population (Iceland) (Helgason et al, ); DAN_V, medieval population of Danes and Vikings (Denmark); NOR_V, medieval population of Norwegian Vikings (Norway) (Krzewińska et al, ); MON_X, nomadic Xiongnu population (Mongolia) (Keyser‐Tracqui et al, (); Kim et al, ); CHIN_X, Xianbei population (inner Mongolia, China) (Changchun et al, ); CHIN_WZ, populations from Wanggu and Zhenzishan (inner Mongolia, China) (Fu et al, ); RUS_Y, Yakut population from eastern Siberia (Sakha republic, Russia) (Crubézy et al, ); MIN_BR, Bronze Age populations from south Siberia/central Asia (Russia) (Allentoft et al, ; Keyser et al ); KAZ_BRIA, Bronze and Iron Age populations from central Asia (Kazakhstan) (Allentoft et al, ; Lalueza‐Fox et al, ); ALT_Sc, Iron Age Scytho‐Siberian population (Altai Republic, Russia/Mongolia) (Allentoft et al, ; González‐Ruiz et al, ; Pilipenko et al, Ricaut et al, ); SIB_K, Bronze Age population of Late Krotovo culture from western Siberia (Russia) (Molodin et al, ); SIB_B, Bronze Age population from western Siberia (Baraba steppe) (Rusiia) (Molodin et al, ); SIB_A Bronze Age population of Andronovo culture from western Siberia (Russia) (Allentoft et al, ; Molodin et al, )…”

A genetic perspective on Longobard-Era migrations

“…Networks were subjected to maximum parsimony post-analysis. Haplogroup frequencies for medieval populations were retrieved from previously published data as outlined in 18 . Since the vast majority of studies provided haplogroup frequencies inferred from HVRI, we reassigned the newly reported LC and NLC to haplogroups employing only this region.…”

Maternal Genetic Ancestry and Legacy of 10thCentury AD Hungarians

“…Of the typed 111 mtDNA profiles, we excluded the site Vörs-Papkert from the population genetic analyses, because it represents a 9 th -10 th -century late Avar-Slavic mixed population in Transdanubia (western-Hungary). On the other hand, we included 26 samples from medieval Hungary described by Tömöry et al 12 , and 19 samples from medieval Č akajovce (today's Slovakia) described by Csákyova et al 13 ( Supplementary Table S4).…”

“…The analysis was performed in Arlequin software, using Tamura & Nei substitution model 47 Sizes of circles indicate number of obtained mtDNA haplotypes from a certain site. Italic letters (17-30) mark previously published data 12,13 . Green color indicates Avar cemeteries, red color designates conqueror cemeteries, blue shows the contact zone, and black indicates 9 th -10 th century late Avar populations.…”

“…Their mtDNA belonged to the common European J and H haplogroups, but with rare haplotype variants in ancient and modern mtDNA databases (see Supplementary Table S15 for database references). The number of typed mtDNA from the 10-12 th century contact zone metapopulation 13 was enlarged by four 10 th century samples from present-day north Croatia.…”