Reconstruction of the lifeways of Central European Late Bronze Age communities using ancient DNA, isotope and osteoarchaeological analyses

The Late Bronze Age (ca. 1300-800 BCE) of Central Europe is often characterised as a period of increasing mobility, socioeconomic transformation, environmental fluctuations, and expanding cultural networks. However, reconstructing the demographic aspects of these changes has been hindered by cremation being the dominant mortuary practice, limiting biomolecular approaches. Here, we integrate ancient DNA, oxygen and strontium isotope analyses, and osteoarchaeology to examine rare inhumation burials from Kuckenburg and Esperstedt in Central Germany (n = 36) and compare them to contemporaneous inhumations from the neighbouring regions of South Germany, Bohemia (Czechia) and Southwest/Central Poland (n = 33). Genome-wide data show genetic continuity with preceding Early Bronze Age populations, alongside gradual increases in Early European Farmer-related ancestry, albeit with regionally different timing and extent, reflecting a nuanced pattern of mobility and admixture. Oxygen and strontium isotope data from Central Germany indicate that most individuals match the local isotope signal, including those who were cremated or had a different diet, and with only a few isotopic outliers, suggesting that mobility was present but not extensive. Overall, our findings suggest that the diverse inhumation practices at Kuckenburg and Esperstedt were culturally motivated, reflecting local traditions and ongoing regional interconnectedness rather than the influx of new genetic groups or non-local individuals.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2026-02-24
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-69895-y
Primary Topic
Forensic and Genetic Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Reconstruction of the lifeways of Central European Late Bronze Age communities using ancient DNA, isotope and osteoarchaeological analyses

Taylor R. Hermes, Agata Hałuszko, Aida Andrades Valtueña, Peter Ettel et al.
Nature Communications
Forensic and Genetic Research
article

Reconstruction of the lifeways of Central European Late Bronze Age communities using ancient DNA, isotope and osteoarchaeological analyses

Taylor R. Hermes, Agata Hałuszko, Aida Andrades Valtueña, Peter Ettel, Lubor Smejtek, Luca Traverso, Gunnar U. Neumann, Thiseas C. Lamnidis, Robert Nicholas Spengler, Sandra Penske, Harald Meller, Mario Küßner, Jana Ilgner, Marie Himmel, Philipp W. Stockhammer, J. Wahl, Ayshin Ghalichi, Mirosław Furmanek, Florian Schneider, Wolfgang Haak, Drahomíra Adámková Malyková, Michal Ernée, Maike Salinger, Torsten Schunke, Patrick Roberts, Barbara Zach, Christophe Snoeck, Enrico Paust, Lena Semerau, Adam B. Rohrlach, Eleftheria Orfanou, Johannes Krause, Mary Lucas, Sarah A. Schrader, Luka Papac
article en

Abstract

The Late Bronze Age (ca. 1300-800 BCE) of Central Europe is often characterised as a period of increasing mobility, socioeconomic transformation, environmental fluctuations, and expanding cultural networks. However, reconstructing the demographic aspects of these changes has been hindered by cremation being the dominant mortuary practice, limiting biomolecular approaches. Here, we integrate ancient DNA, oxygen and strontium isotope analyses, and osteoarchaeology to examine rare inhumation burials from Kuckenburg and Esperstedt in Central Germany (n = 36) and compare them to contemporaneous inhumations from the neighbouring regions of South Germany, Bohemia (Czechia) and Southwest/Central Poland (n = 33). Genome-wide data show genetic continuity with preceding Early Bronze Age populations, alongside gradual increases in Early European Farmer-related ancestry, albeit with regionally different timing and extent, reflecting a nuanced pattern of mobility and admixture. Oxygen and strontium isotope data from Central Germany indicate that most individuals match the local isotope signal, including those who were cremated or had a different diet, and with only a few isotopic outliers, suggesting that mobility was present but not extensive. Overall, our findings suggest that the diverse inhumation practices at Kuckenburg and Esperstedt were culturally motivated, reflecting local traditions and ongoing regional interconnectedness rather than the influx of new genetic groups or non-local individuals.

Nature CommunicationsVol. 17(1)
Leiden University (NL), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (BE), Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (PL), University of Cologne (DE), Lower Saxony State Museum (DE), Institute of Archaeology (RU), Max Planck - Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean (DE), Natural and Medical Sciences Institute (DE), Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Archaeology, Prague (CZ), Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (DE), Landesamt für Archäologie Sachsen (DE), Instytut Archeologii i Etnologii (PL), Institute of Archaeology (HU), Jena University Hospital (DE), Institute of Archaeology (CN), Intelligent Transport Systems Niedersachsen (DE), Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (DE), Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, The University of Adelaide (AU), Friedrich Schiller University Jena (DE), UiT The Arctic University of Norway (NO), University of Arkansas at Fayetteville (US), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (DE), The University of Texas at Austin (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 44%
Forensic and Genetic Research
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.