The Anglo-Saxon migration and the formation of the early English gene pool

The history of the British Isles and Ireland is characterized by multiple periods of major cultural change, including the influential transformation after the end of Roman rule, which precipitated shifts in language, settlement patterns and material culture1. The extent to which migration from continental Europe mediated these transitions is a matter of long-standing debate2,3,4. Here we study genome-wide ancient DNA from 460 medieval northwestern Europeans—including 278 individuals from England—alongside archaeological data, to infer contemporary population dynamics. We identify a substantial increase of continental northern European ancestry in early medieval England, which is closely related to the early medieval and present-day inhabitants of Germany and Denmark, implying large-scale substantial migration across the North Sea into Britain during the Early Middle Ages. As a result, the individuals who we analysed from eastern England derived up to 76% of their ancestry from the continental North Sea zone, albeit with substantial regional variation and heterogeneity within sites. We show that women with immigrant ancestry were more often furnished with grave goods than women with local ancestry, whereas men with weapons were as likely not to be of immigrant ancestry. A comparison with present-day Britain indicates that subsequent demographic events reduced the fraction of continental northern European ancestry while introducing further ancestry components into the English gene pool, including substantial southwestern European ancestry most closely related to that seen in Iron Age France5,6

Author Correction: The Anglo-Saxon migration and the formation of the early English gene pool.

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The Anglo-Saxon migration and the formation of the early English gene pool.

The history of the British Isles and Ireland is characterized by multiple periods of major cultural change, including the influential transformation after the end of Roman rule, which precipitated shifts in language, settlement patterns and material culture1. The extent to which migration from continental Europe mediated these transitions is a matter of long-standing debate2-4. Here we study genome-wide ancient DNA from 460 medieval northwestern Europeans-including 278 individuals from England-alongside archaeological data, to infer contemporary population dynamics. We identify a substantial increase of continental northern European ancestry in early medieval England, which is closely related to the early medieval and present-day inhabitants of Germany and Denmark, implying large-scale substantial migration across the North Sea into Britain during the Early Middle Ages. As a result, the individuals who we analysed from eastern England derived up to 76% of their ancestry from the continental North Sea zone, albeit with substantial regional variation and heterogeneity within sites. We show that women with immigrant ancestry were more often furnished with grave goods than women with local ancestry, whereas men with weapons were as likely not to be of immigrant ancestry. A comparison with present-day Britain indicates that subsequent demographic events reduced the fraction of continental northern European ancestry while introducing further ancestry components into the English gene pool, including substantial southwestern European ancestry most closely related to that seen in Iron Age France5,6

Archäologische Spurensuche ohne Spatenstich: Von Gräben, Wällen und Backsteinen

Geophysikalische Prospektionen von Häuptlingsburgen der friesischen Halbinsel von Thorsten Becker, Dirk Dallaserra, Emma Hadré, Kirsten Hüser und Stefan Krabath Unsichtbares sichtbar machen: Das ist eine der ambitionierten Aufgaben des Projekts „Burgenbau im niedersächsischen Küstenraum“ des Niedersächsischen Instituts für historische Küstenforschung. Mithilfe historisch-geographischer und archäologischer Methoden sollen ehemalige Burgenstandorte aufgespürt und erforscht werden, um so ein..

Die Sibetsburg in Wilhelmshaven

Beschrieben wird der Ausbau einer agrarisch geprägten Siedlung im Stadtgebiet von Wilhelmshaven zu einer hölzernen Motte und weiter zu einem repräsentativen Backsteinbau vor dem Hintergrund gesellschaftlicher Veränderungen im Wirkungsbereich der Friesischen Freiheit. Herausgestellt werden zudem die Prozesse der Landeserschließung und wirtschaftstopografische Zusammenhänge im Marschenland der Nordsee als wichtige Katalysatoren für den Burgenbau. Ausgewählte Funde gestatteten Blicke auf das hochmittelalterliche Metallhandwerk.4734844