Search

Modern humans expanded into Eurasia more than 40,000 years ago following their dispersal out of Africa. These Eurasians carried ~2–3% Neanderthal ancestry in their genomes, originating from admixture with Neanderthals that took place sometime between 50,000 and 60,000 years ago, probably in the Middle East. In Europe, the modern human expansion preceded the disappearance of Neanderthals from the fossil record by 3,000–5,000 years. The genetic makeup of the first Europeans who colonized the continent more than 40,000 years ago remains poorly understood since few specimens have been studied. Here, we analyse a genome generated from the skull of a female individual from Zlatý kůň, Czechia. We found that she belonged to a population that appears to have contributed genetically neither to later Europeans nor to Asians. Her genome carries ~3% Neanderthal ancestry, similar to those of other Upper Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers. However, the lengths of the Neanderthal segments are longer than those observed in the currently oldest modern human genome of the ~45,000-year-old Ust’-Ishim individual from Siberia, suggesting that this individual from Zlatý kůň is one of the earliest Eurasian inhabitants following the expansion out of Africa., The authors present the genome sequence of a >45,000-year-old female Homo sapiens individual from the site of Zlatý kůň, Czechia. Although radiometric dating of the human remains was inconclusive, the authors were able to use molecular methods to demonstrate that she was probably among the earliest Eurasian inhabitants following expansion out of Africa.

The 3D imaging technologies have become of paramount importance for example in disciplines such as forensic anthropology and bioarchaeology, where they are being used more and more frequently. There are several new possibilities that they offer; for instance, the easier and faster sharing of data among institutions, the possibility of permanent documentation, or new opportunities of data analysis. An important requirement, however, is whether the data obtained from different scanning devices are comparable and whether the possible varying outputs could affect further analyses, such as the estimation of the biological profile. Therefore, we aimed to investigate two important questions: (1) whether 3D models acquired by two different scanning technologies (structured light and laser) are comparable and (2) whether the scanning equipment has an effect on the anthropological analyses, such as age-at-death estimation and sex assessment. 3D models of ossa coxa (n = 29) were acquired by laser (NextEngine) and structured light (HP 3D Structured Light Scanner PRO 2) scanners. The resulting 3D models from both scanners were subjected to age-at-death analyses (via the quantitative method of Stoyanova et al., 2017) and sex analyses (via Diagnose Sexuelle Probabiliste 2 of Brůžek et al., 2017). Furthermore, high quality scans of a small sample (n = 5) of pubic symphyseal surfaces with the RedLux Profiler device were acquired as reference surfaces to which the outputs from both scanners were compared. Small deviations between surfaces were more evident in more rugged surfaces (in areas of depression and protrusion). Even though small differences from the reference surfaces were found, they did not have a significant effect on the age and sex estimates. It never resulted in the opposite sex assignment, and no significant differences were observed between age estimates (with the exception of those with the TPS/BE model). Charles University Grant Agency [642218] IRN Bipedal Equilibrium, CNRS, France info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

International audience; Dietary behavior in the context of the formation of state structure, Christianization, and significant urbanization was studied, using the Great Moravian Empire (9th–10th century AD, Czech Republic) as a representative example. We also analyzed the impact of the disruption of social structure at the beginning of the 10th century and subsequent recovery of society during the 11th century. Carbon and nitrogen isotopic values were measured in 189 adults (both sexes) and 74 animals representing different socio-economic contexts (power centers/hinterlands) and chronology (Great Moravian/Late Hillfort period).Statistically significant differences in animal protein consumption were observed between centers and hinterlands. For centers, significant relationship was found between nitrogen isotopic values and socio-economic status in males, but not for females. Diachronic diet changes were observed, with the 11th century diet characterized by higher millet consumption in both sexes and lower consumption of animal protein in males.These results confirm that Great Moravia represented a highly stratified society socio-economically. Social status appears to determine the consumption of animal protein much more in males than in females. The diet of females also proved to be more uniform in the diachronic frame. The diachronic change in dietary behavior suggests that through the apparent recovery in the 11th century, Moravian society did not reach its original level of welfare at least in terms of the quality of diet.

Pendant la période coloniale, on reconnaît aux Antilles françaises 3 principaux types d'espaces sépulcraux, les cimetières privés, les ensembles paroissiaux et ceux réservés aux esclaves. Ces derniers étaient christianisés au départ des comptoirs africains ou à leur arrivée dans les colonies, mais ils n'avaient pas accès à l'espace consacré. De quelle manière la population servile gérait-elle ses défunts ? Etait-ce sous la dépendance de la commune, de la plantation ou du propriétaire ? Les écrits sont considérables sur la traite moderne, mais en dehors des crises de mortalité exceptionnelles, ils sont relativement discrets sur la vie et la mort des esclaves, une fois qu'ils étaient sortis des circuits commerciaux. Toutes ces interrogations relatives aux conditions de vie et de mort de la population servile ont conduit à l'ouverture d'une fouille archéologique axée sur ces problématiques. Elle porte sur un site funéraire regroupant plusieurs centaines de tombes, où les secteurs dégagés ont livré environ 200 sépultures qui s'inscrivent dans le rituel chrétien, avec cependant quelques particularités. D'un point de vue biologique, les conditions de vie particulièrement défavorables ont laissé de nombreuses séquelles osseuses.

International audience; A man and a woman were found in a double burial dating from the 1st century BC and located in a Xiongnu burial site in northern Mongolia. An offering box at the head of the man's coffin contained both remains of domestic animals and a human hyoid bone. The skeleton of the man was complete whereas the woman's hyoid bone was missing. The isolated hyoid bone could belong to the buried woman, which suggests the removal of her tongue and probably her sacrifice.

International audience