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Portrait reconstruction of VERT114
Ancient Individual

A woman buried in Ukraine in the Iron Age era

VERT114
980 BCE - 830 BCE
Female
The Bell Beaker Culture in Verteba Cave, Ukraine
Ukraine
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Chapter I

Identity

The biological and cultural markers that define this ancient individual

Sample ID

VERT114

Date Range

980 BCE - 830 BCE

Biological Sex

Female

mtDNA Haplogroup

T2

Cultural Period

The Bell Beaker Culture in Verteba Cave, Ukraine

Chapter II

Place

Where this individual was discovered

Country Ukraine
Locality Ternopil oblast. Verteba Cave. Site 17
Coordinates 48.7830, 25.8520
Chapter III

Time

When this individual lived in the broader context of human history

VERT114 980 BCE - 830 BCE
Chapter IV

Story

The narrative of this ancient life

The Bell Beaker culture is one of the most intriguing and widespread prehistoric phenomena of the European Bronze Age, spanning approximately 2800-1800 BCE. While its presence is more commonly associated with Western and Central Europe, the influence and artifacts of the Bell Beaker culture have been traced as far as Eastern Europe, including the Verteba Cave in Ukraine. The Verteba Cave, located in the Ternopil Oblast, presents a fascinating case of cultural interaction and diffusion, providing significant insights into the spread and adaptation of the Bell Beaker culture in regions that were on the periphery of its primary sphere.

The Bell Beaker Culture

The Bell Beaker culture is characterized primarily by its distinct pottery, which is shaped like an inverted bell. This pottery often features intricate designs composed of impressions made using combs or cords, creating geometric patterns. These artifacts have been discovered alongside various other cultural elements such as specific types of arrowheads, copper daggers, and particular burial customs. The Bell Beaker culture is not only recognized for its material artifacts but also for its role in the diffusion of metallurgy, social stratification, and networks of trade and communication throughout Europe.

Verteba Cave: An Archaeological Gem

Located in the forested region of Western Ukraine, Verteba Cave is one of the longest caves in Europe and has been an archaeological site providing evidence of human occupation during different epochs. The site gained significant attention when the remains of the Bell Beaker culture were identified there, bridging connections between this far-reaching culture and the local populations.

Artifacts and Findings

Excavations in the Verteba Cave have unearthed a variety of Bell Beaker artifacts that suggest a blend of cultural interactions. Among the primary discoveries are:

  • Pottery: The typical Bell Beaker pottery, with its unique shape and decoration, has been found in the cave. The presence of this pottery suggests trade or migration routes that brought the influence of the Bell Beaker culture to Ukraine.
  • Metalwork: Small copper objects, akin to those from other Bell Beaker sites, indicate an exchange of metallurgical knowledge and possibly materials.
  • Weapons and Tools: Flint arrowheads and knives, consistent with Bell Beaker style, suggest the adoption or influence of Bell Beaker technology.

Burial Practices

One of the distinctive aspects of the Bell Beaker culture is its burial practices. Although specific burial sites directly associated with Verteba are limited, the surrounding region suggests that there might have been an adoption of burial customs involving individual graves with ample grave goods, a marked departure from the collective burials more typical of Eastern European Neolithic sites.

Cultural Influences

The integration of Bell Beaker elements within the Verteba Cave context illustrates a fascinating cultural exchange:

  • Diffusion of Ideas: The presence of Bell Beaker artifacts suggests a diffusion of cultural and technological innovations, such as metallurgy, facilitated by trade routes across the continent.
  • Syncretism: Indigenous cultures in the area may have incorporated Bell Beaker elements into their own societal frameworks, resulting in a hybrid cultural expression.
  • Mobility and Migration: The interaction at sites like Verteba hints at the mobility of Bell Beaker groups or the movement of their goods across considerable distances.

Conclusion

The Bell Beaker culture's extension into regions like the Verteba Cave area of Ukraine highlights its remarkable adaptability and influence across diverse ecological and cultural landscapes. This cultural infusion left a lasting legacy on the societal structures, technologies, and material culture of communities even beyond its core areas. The research into sites like Verteba Cave continues to unveil the complexities of prehistoric cultural interactions and enriches our understanding of the ancient European Bronze Age.

Chapter V

Genetics

The genetic ancestry of this ancient individual

Modern Genetic Admixture

This analysis compares the DNA profile with present-day reference populations, showing what percentage of genetic makeup resembles modern populations from different regions.

Europe 99.7%
Northwestern European 48.8%
English 30.2%
Northwestern European 13.9%
Finnish 4.7%
Southern European 45.3%
Balkan 18.3%
Iberian 11.7%
Sardinian 8.3%
Italian 7.0%
Eastern European 5.6%
Eastern European 5.6%

Closest Modern Populations

These are the modern populations showing the closest statistical alignment to A woman buried in Ukraine in the Iron Age era, ranked by genetic distance. Lower distance values indicate closer statistical similarity.

1
French Occitanie
2.2668
2
French Auvergne
2.3002
3
French Alsace
2.4135
4
Belgianc
2.5542
5
Swiss German
2.5576
6
French Nord
2.5684
7
French Paris
2.6612
8
Belgianb
2.8318
9
French Pas De Calais
2.8451
10
Swiss French
2.8526
Chapter VI

Context

Other ancient individuals connected to this sample

Sources

References

Scientific publications and genetic data

Scientific Publication

Genomes from Verteba cave suggest diversity within the Trypillians in Ukraine

Authors Gelabert P, Schmidt RW, Fernandes DM
Abstract

The transition to agriculture occurred relatively late in Eastern Europe, leading researchers to debate whether it was a gradual, interactive process or a colonisation event. In the forest and forest-steppe regions of Ukraine, farming appeared during the fifth millennium BCE, associated with the Cucuteni-Trypillia cultural complex (CTCC, ~ 5000-3000 BCE). Across Europe, the Neolithisation process was highly variable across space and over time. Here, we investigate the population dynamics of early agriculturalists from the eastern forest-steppe region based on the analyses of 20 ancient genomes from the site of Verteba Cave (3935-825 cal BCE). Results reveal that the CTCC individuals' ancestry is related to both western hunter-gatherers and Near Eastern farmers, has no local ancestry associated with Ukrainian Neolithic hunter-gatherers and has steppe ancestry. An Early Bronze Age individual has an ancestry profile related to the Yamnaya expansions but with 20% of ancestry related to the other Trypillian individuals, which suggests admixture between the Trypillians and the incoming populations carrying steppe-related ancestry. A Late Bronze Age individual dated to 980-825 cal BCE has a genetic profile indicating affinity to Beaker-related populations, detected close to 1000 years after the end of the Bell Beaker phenomenon during the third millennium BCE.

G25 Coordinates

The G25 coordinates for sample VERT114 can be used for detailed admixture analysis in our G25 Studio tool.

VERT114,0.13085212,0.14049654,0.05071046,0.02226318,0.04779266,0.00935556,0.00293714,0.00813708,0.01702774,0.01871222,-0.00697966,0.0069454,-0.00524566,-0.00256842,-0.00050094,0.00377612,0.00085546,0.00018436,0.00028508,-0.00093912,0.00267144,0.0027354,-0.00206942,-0.00422202,0.00060984
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