EAA 2023: Abstract

The Early Bronze Age cemetery in Mikulovice, eastern Bohemia, Czech Republic, is one of the largest and richest of the Únětice Culture, and therefore a model site for extensive bioarchaeological studies. This paper will present the results of isotopic reconstructions of diet in the context of biological relatedness inferred from aDNA.
Sampling of all buried individuals (N=109) for aDNA, 14C dating, radiogenic and stable isotope analyses of Sr, O, C and N enabled us to reconstruct various complexly interwoven aspects of lifeways, at the level of single individuals, biological kinship groups, as well as the entire community. Carbon and nitrogen isotopic values were measured in all individuals older than 6 years, from whom aDNA was successfully recovered (N=81). Both carbon and nitrogen isotopic values differed significantly between biological kinship groups, whereas the differences in nitrogen isotopic values between biologically related individuals were significantly lower than those between unrelated individuals. These results are further discussed with respect to the absolute chronology, grave position and the character of the associated grave goods.
Though the research is still ongoing, the current data suggest that close biological/social relationship was the leading factor driving dietary behaviour of the individuals buried at Mikulovice.
This research was supported by the Czech Academy of Sciences Award Praemium Academiae (Dr. Michal Ernée) and by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic (DKRVO 2019-2023/7.I.e, 00023272).

stable isotopes, aDNA, biological kinship, diet, Únětice culture

Poster presentation

  Abstract (PDF)
 Full paper (PDF)

Sylva Drtikolová Kaupová⁵

Luka Papac⁴
Michaela Langová²
Ken Massy³
Ronny Friedrich¹
Zdeněk Vytlačil⁵
Wolfgang Haak⁴
Michal Ernée²