Talks of the Past Open Seminar: Genetic relatedness in Stone Age Scandinavia, speaker Helena Malmström

Abstract

Did genetic relatedness matter in Scandinavian Stone Age societies? And if so, how? The increase in the number of individuals with available ancient DNA data, coupled with new tools for assessing relatedness from such data, now allows us to infer kinship patterns beyond broad-scale population structures.

This talk will summarise some of the ongoing research on genetic kinship structures among individuals who lived in present-day Scandinavia between 3,500 and 2,300 BCE. Three cultural complexes existed during this period, and previous research has shown that they were genetically distinct from each other. While two of them had an agricultural base, one (the Funnel Beaker Culture) practised communal burials in megalithic tombs, and the other (the Battle Axe Culture) displayed more individualised burials. Distinct from these were a group of late marine hunter-gatherers (the Pitted Ware Culture).

In this talk, Helena Malmström will discuss how genetic relatedness patterns can inform on burial practices, marital patterns and social structures in these three Stone Age groups. She will also give examples of how specific archaeological contexts and isotope analyses can help in this regard. Helena looks forward to rewarding discussions on this topic.

Helena Malmström is a researcher in ancient DNA, archaeology and population genomics, Human Evolution Program, Uppsala University (Google Scholar)