Ancient mitogenomes from Pre-Pottery Neolithic Central Anatolia and the effects of a Late Neolithic bottleneck in sheep (Ovis aries)

Occupied between ~10,300 and 9300 years ago, the Pre-Pottery Neolithic site of Aşıklı Höyük in Central Anatolia went through early phases of sheep domestication. Analysis of 629 mitochondrial genomes from this and numerous sites in Anatolia, southwest Asia, Europe, and Africa produced a phylogenetic tree with excessive coalescences (nodes) around the Neolithic, a potential signature of a domestication bottleneck. This is consistent with archeological evidence of sheep management at Aşıklı Höyük which transitioned from residential stabling to open pasturing over a millennium of site occupation. However, unexpectedly, we detected high genetic diversity throughout Aşıklı Höyük’s occupation rather than a bottleneck. Instead, we detected a tenfold demographic bottleneck later in the Neolithic, which caused the fixation of mitochondrial haplogroup B in southwestern Anatolia. The mitochondrial genetic makeup that emerged was carried from the core region of early Neolithic sheep management into Europe and dominates the matrilineal diversity of both its ancient and the billion-strong modern sheep populations

Ancient mitogenomes from Pre-Pottery Neolithic Central Anatolia and the effects of a Late Neolithic bottleneck in sheep (Ovis aries)

Occupied between ~10,300 and 9300 years ago, the Pre-Pottery Neolithic site of Aşıklı Höyük in Central Anatolia went through early phases of sheep domestication. Analysis of 629 mitochondrial genomes from this and numerous sites in Anatolia, southwest Asia, Europe, and Africa produced a phylogenetic tree with excessive coalescences (nodes) around the Neolithic, a potential signature of a domestication bottleneck. This is consistent with archeological evidence of sheep management at Aşıklı Höyük which transitioned from residential stabling to open pasturing over a millennium of site occupation. However, unexpectedly, we detected high genetic diversity throughout Aşıklı Höyük's occupation rather than a bottleneck. Instead, we detected a tenfold demographic bottleneck later in the Neolithic, which caused the fixation of mitochondrial haplogroup B in southwestern Anatolia. The mitochondrial genetic makeup that emerged was carried from the core region of early Neolithic sheep management into Europe and dominates the matrilineal diversity of both its ancient and the billion-strong modern sheep populations

Early Neolithic settlement Ilindentsi in the Middle Struma valley, south–western Bulgaria: spatial organization and pottery

The article offers new data on the Neolithisation process in the Struma valley and the Central Balkans based on recent research at the Early Neolithic settlement Ilindentsi in southwestern Bulgaria. The settlement was inhabited during the second half of the Early Neolithic. The stratigraphic analysis points to at least two main periods, which belong respectively to the Early Neolithic (Ilindentsi I) and the Middle Neolithic (Ilindentsi II). The entire ceramic assemblage shows a very smooth transition from the Early to the Middle Neolithic with two transitional stages of the final Early Neolithic – Ilindentsi FEN I and Ilindentsi FEN II.The results of this multidisciplinary study show the complexity of the processes related to the Neolithisation of this part of southeast Europe and the diversity of factors influencing the foundation and development of Ilindentsi, as well as its place in the network of early Neolithic settlements in the Balkans

Early Neolithic Settlement Brezhani, Raven_photos

<p>Images of the site made during prospections in 2003, excavations in 2009 and geomagnetic studies in 2010</p&gt

Anthropomorphic figurines and miniature beads from the Early Neolithic settlement of Ilindentsi, southwest Bulgaria

The paper presents two types of small artefacts: anthropomorphic figurines and miniature beads, all of which were acquired during the excavations of the Early Neolithic settlement at Ilindentsi during 2011–2018. The anthropomorphic clay figurines are arranged in three groups: Group 1 – figurines with enlarged hips and buttocks (steatopygia); Group 2 – prism/parallelepiped shaped figurines and Group 3 – figurines with plastic projections on the head (buns or horns). One partially preserved marble figurine was also found. All of these objects show an interesting spatial distribution while being concentrated in two distant houses. All figurines confirm a general trend in the development of these objects in the central Balkans and northern Greece but also emphasise the supraregional contacts with the Pannonian Plain. Miniature beads are very characterisic of the Early Neolithic settlement at Ilindentsi. Forty-one beads have been found, most of them within the boundaries of house № 2. Thirty-six beads were made of clay and only five beads from other raw materials: shell, rock and mother-of-pearl. The collection of miniature clay beads from Ilindnetsi is unique, with no parallels from other contemporary sites in the Balkans. In terms of importance it places Ilindentsi right after emblematic Anatolian sites such as Çatalhöyük and Çukuriçi. The clay beads from Ilindentsi pose a number of questions about their place and role in the so-called Neolithic package; their function, social dimension and last but not least their expression of people’s specialized skills

Prašiči in ljudje v času zgodnjega neolitika v jugovzhodni Evropi: Novi arheozoološki podatki in analize stabilnih izotopov iz najdišča Džuljunica-Smărdeš v Bolgariji v času poznega 7. do zgodnjega 6. tisočletja pr. n. št.

The Bulgarian site Džuljunica-Smărdeš, dating to 6205-5529 cal. BC, is one of the oldest Neolithic sites in Europe. Both domestic cattle and caprines are present in the zooarchaeological assemblage, but Sus, in contrast, is extremely rare. It is not known if the earliest Neolithic people in Europe did rear domestic pigs, practised some form of pig management, or only hunted wild boar. This research investigates the human pig relationships, using biometry, kill-off patterns and isotopic dietary analysis. With this integrated methodological approach, it might be possible to characterize human-suid relationships in this pivotal Early Neolithic site with greater accuracy. Understanding this relationship at this site contributes to the broader debate on how Neolithisation and domesticates spread through Europe, and which bio-cultural mechanisms were responsible for differential patterns of animal exploitation.Bolgarsko najdišče Džuljunica-Smărdeš, datirano v čas med 6205 in 5529 pr. n. št., je eno najstarejših neolitskih najdišč v Evropi. V arheozoološkem zbiru najdišča prevladuje govedo in drobnica, prašiči pa so zelo redki. Ni znano, ali so ljudje v Evropi v času neolitika že vzrejali prašiče, se ukvarjali s kakšno obliko upravljanja s prašiči ali lovili le divje svinje. V članku raziskujemo odnos med ljudmi in prašiči s pomočjo biometrije, vzorcev starosti živali ob zakolu in analizo stabilnih izotopov. Z uporabo takšne integrirane metodologije lahko bolj natančno orišemo odnose med ljudmi in prašiči na tem ključnem zgodnje neolitskem najdišču. Razumevanje teh odnosov lahko prispeva k širši debati o načinu širjenja neolitizacije in domestikacije živali v Evropi in o tem, kateri biološko-kulturni mehanizmi so bili ključni za nastanek različnih vzorcev izkoriščanja živali