A woman buried in Sweden in the Copper Age era
Megalithic Ansarve, located in what is now Sweden, is part of the broader megalithic culture that spread across parts of Europe during the Neolithic period. This era, roughly dating from 4000 to 1500 BCE, is characterized by the construction of impressive stone monuments, which serve as a testament to the social and spiritual dynamics of prehistoric societies.
Geographical Context: Ansarve is situated within the broader geographical context of southern Scandinavia, a region known for its rich prehistoric and archaeological heritage. The landscape is characterized by rolling hills, forests, and proximity to the Baltic Sea, offering a variety of natural resources. This environment would have supported a mixed economy of farming, hunting, and fishing, which was typical of Neolithic communities in the area.
Cultural and Social Structure: Megalithic sites like Ansarve reflect a society that had begun to organize itself in more complex ways compared to earlier hunter-gatherer communities. The erection of megaliths required coordinated effort and social organization, indicating the presence of leadership and possibly burgeoning hierarchical structures. These communities were likely comprised of extended families or clans under the guidance of tribal leaders or elders.
Spiritual and Ritual Significance: The megaliths at Ansarve and similar sites were primarily burial sites called dolmens or passage graves. These structures underscore the importance of ancestor worship and belief in an afterlife. It is believed that these megalithic tombs were not simply graves but places for rituals and ceremonies, possibly involving offerings and memorial feasts. The alignment of some megalithic structures with celestial bodies also points to an early understanding of astronomy and its connection to religious practices.
Technological and Architectural Achievements: Constructing megalithic structures was a significant architectural achievement for the people of this era. They used locally available stone, which they transported, shaped, and assembled without the wheel or metal tools, relying instead on leverage and manpower. The architectural design reflects a deep understanding of their physical environment and represents some of the earliest forms of human expression through monumental architecture.
Artistic Expression: While few artifacts of intricate artistic expression—like carvings or pottery—have been directly linked to the megaliths of Ansarve, the act of monument building itself is a form of cultural expression. Some megalithic sites include rock carvings and petroglyphs, indicating a symbolic or communicative element, possibly reflecting mythological or cosmological themes.
Diet and Subsistence: The diet of the Megalithic Ansarve people was diverse, with an increasing emphasis on agriculture. They cultivated grains such as barley and wheat and domesticated animals such as cattle, sheep, and pigs. They also continued to fish and hunt, exploiting coastal and forest resources. This combination of farming, hunting, and gathering provided a balanced diet and contributed to sustainable settlement patterns.
Legacy and Archaeological Significance: The megalithic structures at Ansarve offer critical insights into the late Neolithic lifestyle, shedding light on the technological innovations, social structures, and spiritual beliefs of these early societies. These monuments continue to be studied for their historical, architectural, and anthropological significance. They are part of a broader European tradition that points to early human ingenuity and the innate human desire to connect with both the physical and the spiritual world.
In summary, Megalithic Ansarve is emblematic of a broader cultural era marked by significant developments in social organization, technology, and spiritual life. This period laid some of the foundational aspects of European prehistoric culture, influencing succeeding generations in areas of religion, community organization, and monumentality.
Ancient genetic admixture analysis compares the DNA profile of this individual (ans005) with present-day reference populations. These results show what percentage of the individual's genetic makeup resembles ancient populations from different geographic regions.
Modern genetic admixture analysis compares the DNA profile of this individual (ans005) with present-day reference populations. These results show what percentage of the individual's genetic makeup resembles modern populations from different geographic regions.
These results complement the ancient ancestry components shown in the previous section, offering a different perspective on the individual's genetic profile by comparing it with modern reference populations rather than prehistoric ancestral groups.
The G25 coordinates for the sample ans005 are as follows. You can analyze its admixture using G25 Studio.
ans005,0.12036478,0.15836184,0.02585232,-0.03781632,0.05628534,-0.01942306,-0.0019745,0.00431726,0.0362312,0.06554738,-0.00397526,0.01424112,-0.02541954,-0.01500456,-0.00924948,0.00335552,0.01302838,0.00026204,6.812E-05,-0.00405246,-0.0003572,0.00349622,-0.01183994,-0.01612692,0.00337986
Megalithic tombs in western and northern Neolithic Europe were linked to a kindred society
Paleogenomic and archaeological studies show that Neolithic lifeways spread from the Fertile Crescent into Europe around 9000 BCE, reaching northwestern Europe by 4000 BCE. Starting around 4500 BCE, a new phenomenon of constructing megalithic monuments, particularly for funerary practices, emerged along the Atlantic façade. While it has been suggested that the emergence of megaliths was associated with the territories of farming communities, the origin and social structure of the groups that erected them has remained largely unknown. We generated genome sequence data from human remains, corresponding to 24 individuals from five megalithic burial sites, encompassing the widespread tradition of megalithic construction in northern and western Europe, and analyzed our results in relation to the existing European paleogenomic data. The various individuals buried in megaliths show genetic affinities with local farming groups within their different chronological contexts. Individuals buried in megaliths display (past) admixture with local hunter-gatherers, similar to that seen in other Neolithic individuals in Europe. In relation to the tomb populations, we find significantly more males than females buried in the megaliths of the British Isles. The genetic data show close kin relationships among the individuals buried within the megaliths, and for the Irish megaliths, we found a kin relation between individuals buried in different megaliths. We also see paternal continuity through time, including the same Y-chromosome haplotypes reoccurring. These observations suggest that the investigated funerary monuments were associated with patrilineal kindred groups. Our genomic investigation provides insight into the people associated with this long-standing megalith funerary tradition, including their social dynamics.