Slavic origins

The two Balto-Slavic samples that I've mentioned earlier on this blog have been finally published in The diverse genetic origins of a Classical period Greek army : Two individuals (I10943/W0396 and I10949/W0403; Sicily_Himera_480BCE_3) fall with modern northeastern European groups and eastern Baltic populations of the first millennium BCE and can be modeled using exclusively BA individuals from Lithuania as a proxy source ( P = 0.129). I10943 Mass grave 1&2 480 BCE battle 764-516 calBCE (2475±20 BP, PSUAMS-4118) Sicily, Himera U5a1a1+152 R-Y35* R1a1a1b1a2b I10949 Mass grave 1&2 480 BCE battle 751-413 calBCE (2450±20 BP, PSUAMS-4866) Sicily, Himera H1m I-L233* I2a1a(xI2a1a2)   Y-DNA of one of them is typically Slavic:  https://www.yfull.com/tree/R-Y35/ Or rather was, because now it will be surely called "Baltic", "Lusatian" or "Para-Balto-Slavic".

Montenegro Our samples from Montenegro (Fig. S 33) are mainly from the Late Bronze Age (Velika Gruda) and such individuals possess the three main components of European ancestry of Anatolian Neolithic (~50%), Eastern European hunter-gatherer (~12%), and Balkan hunter-gatherer ancestry (~18%). One later individual of the Iron Age (MNE_IA; I13170) differs by having reduced Neolithic ancestry (-21±7% relative to the rest). Whether this individual represents an outlier of the later population or signifies a real change in population ancestry in the intervening period between the end of the 2 nd millennium and the 1 st millennium BCE remains to be determined. Unfortunately again radiocarbon date is not available: I13170    MNE_IA    F    800-400 BCE RISE596-I13170 are duplicates X1'2'3

The first was published in Patterson et al. 2021 . Now we have another one. Unfortunately still without any dating other than archaeological.   I18719 BzV 10a 1500-800 BCE Croatia_MLBA_alt    Bezdanjača Cave I2a1a2b1a1 HV0a1a A petrous bone from one of the individuals (BzV 10a) excavated from the eastern channel yielded sample I18719 (male). This mature adult displayed possible peri-mortem trauma. Unfortunately, only the left side of the cranium is preserve d. I18721 BzV 11a 1500-800 BCE HRV_Bezdanjača_BA Bezdanjača Cave I2a1a2b1a1    T2b11 I18721/3781, BzV 11a (petrous bone), genetically male. Complete neurocranium of an adult individual. Healed porotic hyperostosis on the frontal, parietal and the occipital bones, perimortem blunt force trauma on the right parietal bone. Wormian bones along the lambdoid suture.    Interestingly there's another Slavic-like individual. This time with R1b-P312. I18723 Blok 9/1; 1088 1500-800 BCE HRV_Bezdanjača_BA Bezdanjača Cave  R1b1a1b1a1a2    V1a

"The genetic history of the Southern Arc" publication sheds some light on the origin of the I subhaplogroup, which is characteristic of modern day Slavs, especially those from the Balkans. There were many theories about its ultimate source, including some ridiculous ones. However, in the end, the real one will turn out to be the one with Balkan origins. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best. Thanks to the new samples, we can observe from the Chalcolithic how this subhaplogroup has evolved. In the data sheet we can find this: I7137 ROU_Bodrogkeresztur_ChL I-Y3104 I2a1a2 4157-3966 calBCE (5215±25 BP, PSUAMS-4230) I19454 BGR_TellKran_EBA I-L621 I2a1a2b 3000-2000 BCE I10479 ROU_Arman_BA I-CTS4002 I2a1a2b1a 2150-1850 BCE Interestingly, if we carefully inspect the SNPs ourselves, we find that I7137 ROU_Bodrogkeresztur_ChL is already derived for several SNPs on the I-L621 level.    See also: Second I-CTS10228 from the Bez

Today Reich Lab has updated its AADR dataset to version 52.2. There seems to be little change in previously published data, but some samples were eventually radiocarbon dated. Two samples from Czechia previously identified as Knoviz LBA have been dated to the Middle Ages. One sample from Czechia previously identified as IA La Tene has been dated to modern times.   On the other hand, earlier archaeological dating of several samples from Hungary has been confirmed.   Together with I18182 from the same cemetery as I18183, these samples form a cluster that we can call Balto-Slavic without much hesitation. Nearest modern samples are almost exclusively Balto-Slavic. Most interestingly, although the samples are virtually contemporary, geographically they cover almost all of Hungary. The simultaneous presence of such samples over a vast area indicates that we are not dealing with a single stray group, but potentially with a larger population living in the vicinity of the La Tene culture. See

Abstract In this study we report 20 ancient shotgun genomes from present-day Western Hungary (3530 - 1620 cal BCE), mainly from previously understudied Baden, Somogyvar-Vinkovci, Kisapostag, and Encrusted Pottery archaeological cultures. Besides analysing archaeological, anthropological and genetic data, 14C and strontium isotope measurements complemented reconstructing the dynamics of the communities discovered at the site Balatonkeresztur. Our results indicate the appearance of an outstandingly high Mesolithic hunter-gatherer ancestry in the largest proportion (up to ~46%) among Kisapostag associated individuals, despite this component being thought to be highly diluted by the Early Bronze Age. We show that hunter-gatherer ancestry was likely derived from a previously unrecognised source in Eastern Europe that contributed mostly to prehistoric populations in Central Europe and the Baltic region. We revealed a patrilocal residence system and local female exogamy for this