The well-preserved Late Neolithic dolmen burial of Oberbipp, Switzerland. Construction, use, and post-depositional processes

Excavation of the Late Neolithic dolmen of Oberbipp BE, Steingasse in the Swiss Central Plateau provided a unique opportunity for a comprehensive study of the archaeological and anthropological evidence. In multidisciplinary studies, we investigated the processes at work during construction, use, and abandonment of the megalithic structure, as well as the dietary habits, subsistence strategy, and possible mobility of the Neolithic population. Archaeological methods included micromorphology, archaeobiology, typology, use-wear analysis, and geology. The anthropological investigation was complemented by an analysis of stable isotope ratios and palaeogenetics. Local topography and the cover of alluvial sediments ensured an extraordinary conservation of the monument. It allowed the preservation of the human remains of at least 42 individuals of both sexes and all ages. The observation of the sedimentary and post-depositional processes, supplemented by an extensive series of radiocarbon dates, allowed us to reconstruct the history of the dolmen in its environment and the definition of at least two deposition phases. We found genetic evidence of lactase intolerance, a local population with a mixed ancestry of early Anatolian farmers and Western hunter-gatherers, and a crop-based diet. Sparse remains of a nearby Late Neolithic settlement sustain the interpretation that this is the burial site of a local farming community. Evidence of higher mobility of females and kinship over three generations solely in the paternal line suggests a virilocal community. Bone-altering pathologies support the assumption of a caring society

Ancient genomes reveal social and genetic structure of Late Neolithic Switzerland

Genetic studies of Neolithic and Bronze Age skeletons from Europe have provided evidence for strong population genetic changes at the beginning and the end of the Neolithic period. To further understand the implications of these in Southern Central Europe, we analyze 96 ancient genomes from Switzerland, Southern Germany, and the Alsace region in France, covering the Middle/Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age. Similar to previously described genetic changes in other parts of Europe from the early 3rd millennium BCE, we detect an arrival of ancestry related to Late Neolithic pastoralists from the Pontic-Caspian steppe in Switzerland as early as 2860-2460 calBCE. Our analyses suggest that this genetic turnover was a complex process lasting almost 1000 years and involved highly genetically structured populations in this region

6,500-year-old Salmonella enterica genomes link human-host adaptation to animal domestication

Salmonella enterica is a divers species of bacteria, many of which cause disease in humans and animals ranging from gastrointestinal infections to typhoid fever. It is hypothesized that the introduction of animal domestication in prehistoric times facilitated the emergence of human-adapted forms of this pathogen. By utilizing ancient DNA previous studies were able to identify the bacterium in a medieval European individual as well as in victims of a major sixteenth-century epidemic in Mexico. However, the diversity of Salmonella infecting humans in historic and prehistoric times is still largely unexplored. Here we present eight S. enterica genomes recovered from up to 6,500-year-old human remains across Eurasia. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all ancient Salmonella genomes are part of a previously uncharacterized super branch containing a variety of strains that are adapted to humans and other mammalian hosts. While Salmonella infections were also found in individuals with a foraging life style, the ancestral forms of strains adapted to humans today were only infecting individuals from groups who practiced animal domestication. Comparative genomic analysis shows variation in functional gene content suggesting that the prehistoric strains lacked host specificity. In addition, we describe convergent pseudogenization that is likely linked to host adaptation. In summary, we present molecular evidence that links the emergence of human-adapted Salmonella to animal husbandry. Furthermore, by spanning a time interval of multiple millennia our data allows for insights into the genomic evolution of this clinically relevant human pathogen

Genetic transition in the Swiss Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age

Major genetic changes in European populations occurred at the beginning as well as final stages of the Neolithic period as shown by recent genetic studies. The transition from hunter-gatherers to agriculturalists and farmers in the 6th millennium BCE coincided with a human migration from the Near East. A second migration into Central Europe occurred originating from the Pontic steppe in the 3rd millennium BCE and was linked to the spread of the Corded Ware Culture which ranged as far southwest as modern-day Western Switzerland. These genetic processes are well studied, for example for the Middle-Elbe-Saale region in Germany, however, little is known from the regions that connect Central and Southern Europe. In this study, we investigate genome-wide data from 97 individuals from the Swiss Plateau, Southern Germany and the Alsace Region in France that span the transition from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age (4500 to 2000 BCE). Our results show a similar genetic process as reported for the Middle-Elbe-Saale region suggesting that the migration from the Pontic steppe reached all the way into the Swiss Plateau. However, our evidence suggests that the onset of that transition may have started even earlier in Switzerland compared to the Middle-Elbe-Saale region. The existence of core families within multiple burials and the determination, quantification and the estimated dates of arrival of different ancestry components in this region were analysed. Our data represent the first comprehensive genome wide dataset from Neolithic individuals from the Swiss Plateau and provide the first insights into the genetic history of this region

Stable Isotope Analyses of Late Neolithic Human Remains from Switzerland

Stable isotope studies of human remains from the Late Neolithic of modern Switzerland are currently absent from data sets of Central Europe. This changed with the discovery of the Dolmen from Oberbipp, which forms the basis of a project to reconstruct nutrition and mobility during the Late Neolithic using stable isotopes (13C/12C, 15N/14N, and 34S/32S) as well as occupation time, kinship and populationgenetics. This paper is aimed to evaluate diet with regard to sex, geographical regions, and chronological phases. In total, 114 human skeletons from 20 different sites (Switzerland, France, and Germany) were sampled. All samples were radiocarbon dated and date from the Middle Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age. In addition, 67 contemporary faunal remains were sampled. Collagen was extracted and its quality was assessed. All faunal remains and 91 human samples from 14 sites provided sufficient collagen quality for subsequent statistical analyses. The data show expected trophic levels for δ13C and δ15N. The human samples show little variation for δ13C between sites, while δ15N and δ34S show greater variability. No differences between the sexes regarding all three elements are observed. However, little distinction between the chronological phases are recorded. The small variability for δ34S across the animals is indicative for a local signal and therefore suitable as baseline for the human samples. The δ13C values indicate a C3 plant based diet across all sites, which is consistence with other contemporary sites from Central Europe. The variability of δ15N seems to be related to the site rather than being indicative for the social status. The sulphur values do not support the hypothesis of either patrilocal or matrilocal societies. However, the females have a larger distribution than the males, which could be an indication towards higher female migration

Sekundär bestattet oder «entsorgt»? Die Toten aus der Oberen Höhle Procha Burg (Wartau SG, Gretschins)

Im hintersten und schwer zugänglichen Abschnitt der Oberen Höhle Procha Burg waren in den 1970er- und 1980er- Jahren bei Raubgrabungen menschliche Knochen geborgen worden. Die Höhlenfundstelle im St. Galler Rheintal galt fortan als jungsteinzeitliche Bestattungshöhle. Zweifel an der Interpretation der Fundstelle als Begräbnisstätte führten ab 2016 zu einer Nachuntersuchung durch die Kantonsarchäologie SG unter Einbezug der Umgebung der Höhle. Erste Ergebnisse der Nachuntersuchung zeigen, dass die menschlichen Knochen von mindestens 14 Individuen stammen und über eine Zeitspanne von über 3500 Jahren – von der Jungsteinzeit bis in die jüngere Eisenzeit – datieren. Vertreten sind alle Alterskategorien (3 Monate bis 50 Jahre), die weiblichen Individuen sind häufiger vertreten. Die Fundlage der Knochen spricht dafür, dass die menschlichen Skelettreste einst von oben durch eine offene Spalte in den hintersten Höhlenbereich gelangt waren. Bei den menschlichen Gebeinen könnte es sich daher um den Abraum von Gräbern handeln, die ausserhalb der Höhle angelegt worden waren. Auch eine Interpretation als Überreste von Sekundärbestattungen oder rituellen Deponierungen wäre denkbar

Radiocarbon dating of human remains from the late Neolithic dolmen of Oberbipp (Switzerland). Clarifying the chronology and sequences of burials

Undisturbed collective megalithic burials are extremely rare. The dolmen of Oberbipp provides a unique opportunity for multidisciplinary research. Morphological analysis indicate at least 42 individuals buried in the grave chamber. Using archaeology alone it was not possible to determine different occupation periods of the inhumations. Neolithic communities often reused dolmen over centuries, therefore radiocarbon dating might be able to solve this question. Fragments of the same bone element (right femora) were analyzed by two (in some cases three) different laboratories to date all inhumations individually. This study had three aims: a) determine the total occupation time of the dolmen; b) evaluate the sequence of the burials; c) compare the results of the same skeletal element from different laboratories. In total, 79 radiocarbon results from three different laboratories of the right femora (n=32) are available. The broad application of radiocarbon dating allowed the determination of two occupation periods within the burial: The majority of the femora (n=26) date between 3350-2950BCE, but three samples are from a younger period (2900-2650BCE). The comparison between radiocarbon dates obtained in different laboratories for the same sample showed little variation and only a few samples differed substantially. Our sampling strategy indicates the necessity for archaeological settings such as multiple burials to include large serial radiocarbon measurements to ensure that all occupation phases are uncovered. In addition, our data indicate that dating at different laboratories should be included in the sampling process to guarantee that the interpretation is based on the best available data. Even though the overall concordance across the laborites was good, little variation could lead to a different interpretation of a site. In future it should also be considered to include other bioarchaeological methods such as aDNA analysis in combination with radiocarbon dating to overcome problems related to plateaus of the calibration curve