A man buried in Hungary in the Hunter-Gatherer era

The Early Neolithic Hunter-Gatherer Körös Culture, located in what is today modern Hungary, represents an intriguing chapter in the broader narrative of the European Neolithic period. It is intricately linked with its neighboring Starčevo and Criş cultures, forming part of the wider Starčevo-Körös-Criş cultural complex that spanned the central and southeastern Europe during the early Neolithic, dating approximately between 6000 and 5500 BCE.
Geography and Environment
The Körös Culture was primarily situated in the fertile floodplains of the Körös River in eastern Hungary, with its influence stretching into parts of present-day Romania and Serbia. This area is characterized by its rich, alluvial soils, ample water supply, and diverse ecosystem, which would have provided an ideal environment for early agricultural practices while still supporting a hunter-gatherer lifestyle.
Economy and Subsistence
The Körös Culture marks a transitional phase from predominantly hunter-gatherer societies to more settled agricultural communities. While they still relied heavily on hunting game and gathering wild plants, there was a gradual incorporation of farming practices. Archaeological evidence suggests that they cultivated early domesticates such as emmer and einkorn wheat, barley, lentils, and peas.
Animal husbandry also began to take root during this era, with evidence of domesticated cattle, sheep, and goats. However, the Körös Culture still prominently featured hunting, particularly of deer and wild boar, and fishing, given their proximity to rivers and wetlands.
Settlements and Architecture
Körös settlements were typically small and consisted of semi-permanent structures. These houses were often built using wattle and daub techniques, with wooden frameworks sealed with a mixture of clay, straw, and dung. Settlements were usually located near bodies of water, providing easy access to aquatic resources as well as fertile lands for early agricultural activities.
Material Culture and Tools
The material culture of the Körös people reflects both innovation and continuity with Mesolithic traditions. They produced pottery that, while initially simple, evolved into more complex forms with geometric patterns, indicating increasing skill and aesthetic appreciation. Stone tools from this period include polished stone axes and blades, while bone and antler tools underscore their reliance on hunting.
Social Structure and Cultural Practices
Though detailed social structures of the Körös Culture are not clearly defined due to the paucity of written records and limited archaeological evidence, it is conceivable that they had a relatively egalitarian social organization typical of early Neolithic communities. Social cohesion was likely maintained through kinship ties and shared cultural practices, including ritualistic activities or ceremonies suggested by burial sites and ritual artifacts.
Interaction and Influence
The Körös Culture is significant for its role in the diffusion of Neolithic technologies and practices across Central Europe. There was considerable interaction with neighboring cultures, especially along the Danube River corridor, facilitating the transfer of ideas and techniques such as pottery styles, farming practices, and animal domestication. This interaction helped lay the groundwork for subsequent Central European Neolithic cultures.
Legacy
The Körös Culture represents an essential link in the chain of human development within Europe. It demonstrates the complex interplay between migrating agricultural communities and indigenous hunter-gatherer groups, portraying the Neolithic not as a singular event but as a gradual, multifaceted process that reshaped human societies over millennia.
This period laid crucial foundations for the development of more advanced agrarian societies and the eventual rise of complex societies in Central Europe. The remnants of the Körös Culture provide valuable insights into the adaptability and resilience of human societies during times of significant environmental and cultural change.
Sample ID | Culture/Period | Date | Location | Action |
---|---|---|---|---|
I0234 | Srubnaya Culture | 1850 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Samara Steppes. Rozhdestveno I, Russia | View |
I0126 | Middle Bronze Poltavka | 2867 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Kutuluk River. Kutuluk III, Russia | View |
I0432 | Middle Bronze Poltavka | 2925 BCE | Samara Oblast. Sok River. Potapovka I, Russia | View |
I0434 | Eneolithic Khvalynsk Culture, Russia | 5198 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Khvalynsk II, Russia | View |
I0433 | Eneolithic Khvalynsk Culture, Russia | 4697 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Khvalynsk II, Russia | View |
I0122 | Eneolithic Khvalynsk Culture, Russia | 4936 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Khvalynsk II, Russia | View |
I0124 | Hunter-Gatherer Samara, Russia | 5660 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Sok River. Lebyazhinka, Russia | View |
I0370 | Early Bronze Samara Yamnaya | 3300 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Eastern Orenburg. Pre-Ural steppe. Ishkinovka I, Russia | View |
I0441 | Early Bronze Samara Yamnaya | 3010 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Buzuluk. Kurmanaevka III, Russia | View |
I0444 | Early Bronze Samara Yamnaya | 3335 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Kutuluk River. Kutuluk, Russia | View |
I0439 | Early Bronze Samara Yamnaya | 3322 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Sok River. Lopatino I, Russia | View |
I0357 | Early Bronze Samara Yamnaya | 3093 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Sok River. Lopatino I, Russia | View |
I0429 | Early Bronze Samara Yamnaya | 3339 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Sok River. Lopatino I, Russia | View |
I1282 | Chalcolithic Spain | 2900 BCE | Burgos. Atapuerca. El Mirador Cave, Spain | View |
I1302 | Chalcolithic Spain | 2900 BCE | Burgos. Atapuerca. El Mirador Cave, Spain | View |
I1276 | Chalcolithic Spain | 2900 BCE | Burgos. Atapuerca. El Mirador Cave, Spain | View |
I1284 | Chalcolithic Spain | 2900 BCE | Burgos. Atapuerca. El Mirador Cave, Spain | View |
I1274 | Chalcolithic Spain | 2900 BCE | Burgos. Atapuerca. El Mirador Cave, Spain | View |
I1280 | Chalcolithic Spain | 2900 BCE | Burgos. Atapuerca. El Mirador Cave, Spain | View |
I1314 | Chalcolithic Spain | 2900 BCE | Burgos. Atapuerca. El Mirador Cave, Spain | View |
I1277 | Chalcolithic Spain | 2570 BCE | Burgos. Atapuerca. El Mirador Cave, Spain | View |
I1272 | Chalcolithic Spain | 2857 BCE | Burgos. Atapuerca. El Mirador Cave, Spain | View |
I1281 | Chalcolithic Spain | 2867 BCE | Burgos. Atapuerca. El Mirador Cave, Spain | View |
I1300 | Chalcolithic Spain | 2900 BCE | Burgos. Atapuerca. El Mirador Cave, Spain | View |
I0807 | Middle Neolithic Baalberge Culture, Germany | 3977 BCE | Esperstedt, Germany | View |
I0559 | Middle Neolithic Baalberge Culture, Germany | 3646 BCE | Quedlinburg Site IX, Germany | View |
I0560 | Middle Neolithic Baalberge Culture, Germany | 3637 BCE | Quedlinburg Site IX, Germany | View |
I1546 | Bell Beaker Culture, Germany | 2500 BCE | Benzingerode-Heimburg, Germany | View |
I0806 | Bell Beaker Culture, Germany | 2433 BCE | Quedlinburg Site VII, Germany | View |
I0805 | Bell Beaker Culture, Germany | 2465 BCE | Quedlinburg Site VII, Germany | View |
I0113 | Bell Beaker Culture, Germany | 2396 BCE | Quedlinburg Site XII, Germany | View |
I0112 | Bell Beaker Culture, Germany | 2455 BCE | Quedlinburg Site XII, Germany | View |
I1530 | Bell Beaker Culture, Germany | 2456 BCE | Rothenschirmbach, Germany | View |
I0111 | Bell Beaker Culture, Germany | 2474 BCE | Rothenschirmbach, Germany | View |
I0108 | Bell Beaker Culture, Germany | 2575 BCE | Rothenschirmbach, Germany | View |
I0171 | Late Neolithic Benzigerode-Heimburg, Germany | 2288 BCE | Benzingerode-Heimburg, Germany | View |
I0059 | Late Neolithic Benzigerode-Heimburg, Germany | 2343 BCE | Benzingerode-Heimburg, Germany | View |
I1542 | Corded Ware Culture, Germany | 2500 BCE | Esperstedt, Germany | View |
I1536 | Corded Ware Culture, Germany | 2500 BCE | Esperstedt, Germany | View |
I1544 | Corded Ware Culture, Germany | 2500 BCE | Esperstedt, Germany | View |
I1538 | Corded Ware Culture, Germany | 2500 BCE | Esperstedt, Germany | View |
I1539 | Corded Ware Culture, Germany | 2630 BCE | Esperstedt, Germany | View |
I0106 | Corded Ware Culture, Germany | 2461 BCE | Esperstedt, Germany | View |
I1540 | Corded Ware Culture, Germany | 2500 BCE | Esperstedt, Germany | View |
I1541 | Corded Ware Culture, Germany | 2500 BCE | Esperstedt, Germany | View |
I1532 | Corded Ware Culture, Germany | 2500 BCE | Esperstedt, Germany | View |
I0049 | Corded Ware Culture, Germany | 2463 BCE | Esperstedt, Germany | View |
I0211 | Hunter-Gatherer Karelia, Russia | 7050 BCE | Karelia. Yuzhnyy Oleni Ostrov, Russia | View |
I0061 | Hunter-Gatherer Karelia, Russia | 7050 BCE | Karelia. Yuzhnyy Oleni Ostrov, Russia | View |
I0550 | Late Neolithic Karsdorf, Germany | 2572 BCE | Karsdorf, Germany | View |
I0797 | Early Neolithic Linear Pottery Culture, Germany | 5500 BCE | Karsdorf, Germany | View |
I0795 | Early Neolithic Linear Pottery Culture, Germany | 5215 BCE | Karsdorf, Germany | View |
I0176 | Middle Neolithic Linear Pottery Culture, Hungary | 5209 BCE | Szemely-Hegyes, Hungary | View |
I0551 | Middle Neolithic Salzmuende Culture, Germany | 3400 BCE | Salzmünde-Schiepzig, Germany | View |
I0409 | Early Neolithic Spain | 5312 BCE | Els Trocs, Spain | View |
I0411 | Early Neolithic Spain | 5298 BCE | Els Trocs, Spain | View |
I0405 | Middle to Late Neolithic Spain | 3900 BCE | La Mina, Spain | View |
I0174 | Early Neolithic Starčevo Culture 1, Hungary | 5712 BCE | Alsonyek-Bataszek. Mérnöki telep, Hungary | View |
I0115 | Early Bronze Age Unetice Culture, Germany | 1959 BCE | Esperstedt, Germany | View |
I0117 | Early Bronze Age Unetice Culture, Germany | 2276 BCE | Esperstedt, Germany | View |
I0804 | Early Bronze Age Unetice Culture, Germany | 2139 BCE | Eulau, Germany | View |
I0803 | Early Bronze Age Unetice Culture, Germany | 2135 BCE | Eulau, Germany | View |
I0164 | Early Bronze Age Unetice Culture, Germany | 2027 BCE | Quedlinburg Site VIII, Germany | View |
I0114 | Early Bronze Age Unetice Culture, Germany | 2141 BCE | Esperstedt, Germany | View |
I0022 | Early Neolithic Linear Pottery Culture, Germany | 5500 BCE | Baden-Württemberg. Stuttgart-Mühlhausen. Viesenhaeuser Hof, Germany | View |
I0026 | Early Neolithic Linear Pottery Culture, Germany | 5500 BCE | Baden-Württemberg. Stuttgart-Mühlhausen. Viesenhaeuser Hof, Germany | View |
I0013 | Hunter-Gatherer Motala, Sweden | 5966 BCE | Motala. Kanaljorden, Sweden | View |
I0011 | Hunter-Gatherer Motala, Sweden | 5721 BCE | Motala. Kanaljorden, Sweden | View |
I0015 | Hunter-Gatherer Motala, Sweden | 5967 BCE | Motala. Kanaljorden, Sweden | View |
I0012 | Hunter-Gatherer Motala, Sweden | 5715 BCE | Motala. Kanaljorden, Sweden | View |
I0014 | Hunter-Gatherer Motala, Sweden | 5885 BCE | Motala. Kanaljorden, Sweden | View |
I0017 | Hunter-Gatherer Motala, Sweden | 5722 BCE | Motala. Kanaljorden, Sweden | View |
I1508 | Early Neolithic Körös Culture, Hungary | 5716 BCE | Berettyóújfalu-Morotva-Liget, Hungary | View |
I1500 | Middle Neolithic Alföld Linear Pottery Culture, Hungary | 5301 BCE | Kompolt-Kigyoser, Hungary | View |
I1100 | Neolithic Turkey | 6500 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View |
I1102 | Neolithic Turkey | 6500 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View |
I1099 | Neolithic Turkey | 6500 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View |
I1103 | Neolithic Turkey | 6500 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View |
I1101 | Neolithic Turkey | 6500 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View |
I1097 | Neolithic Turkey | 6420 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View |
I0744 | Neolithic Turkey | 6400 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View |
I1096 | Neolithic Turkey | 6500 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View |
I1098 | Neolithic Turkey | 6419 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View |
I0708 | Neolithic Turkey | 6224 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View |
I0745 | Neolithic Turkey | 6387 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View |
I0746 | Neolithic Turkey | 6070 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View |
I0707 | Neolithic Turkey | 6225 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View |
I0709 | Neolithic Turkey | 6223 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View |
I0725 | Neolithic Turkey | 6400 BCE | Menteşe, Turkey | View |
I0736 | Neolithic Turkey | 6500 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View |
I1499 | Middle Neolithic Alföld Linear Pottery Culture Bükk Group, Hungary | 5286 BCE | Garadna, Hungary | View |
I1502 | Early Bronze Age Makó Culture, Hungary | 2195 BCE | Kompolt-Kigyoser, Hungary | View |
I1497 | Late Chalcolithic Baden Culture, Hungary | 3320 BCE | Apc-Berekalya I, Hungary | View |
I1495 | Late Neolithic Lengyel Culture, Hungary | 4496 BCE | Apc-Berekalya I, Hungary | View |
I1498 | Middle Neolithic Alföld Linear Pottery Culture, Hungary | 5297 BCE | Debrecen Tocopart Erdoalja, Hungary | View |
I1507 | Early Neolithic Hunter-Gatherer Körös Culture, Hungary | 5788 BCE | Tiszaszolos-Domaháza, Hungary | View |
I1496 | Middle Neolithic Linear Pottery Culture, Hungary | 5211 BCE | Apc-Berekalya I, Hungary | View |
I1505 | Middle Neolithic Alföld Linear Pottery Culture, Hungary | 5210 BCE | Polgár-Ferenci hát. M3-31, Hungary | View |
I1271 | Chalcolithic Spain | 2900 BCE | Burgos. Atapuerca. El Mirador Cave, Spain | View |
I1303 | Chalcolithic Spain | 2900 BCE | Burgos. Atapuerca. El Mirador Cave, Spain | View |
I1549 | Bell Beaker Culture, Germany | 2500 BCE | Benzingerode-Heimburg, Germany | View |
I0407 | Middle to Late Neolithic Spain | 3900 BCE | La Mina, Spain | View |
I0025 | Early Neolithic Linear Pottery Culture, Germany | 5500 BCE | Baden-Württemberg. Stuttgart-Mühlhausen. Viesenhaeuser Hof, Germany | View |
I0247 | Questionable Iron Age Scythian, Russia | 385 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Volga Steppes. Nadezhdinka, Russia | View |
I0423 | Srubnaya Culture | 1850 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Samara River. Barinovka I, Russia | View |
I0443 | Early Bronze Samara Yamnaya | 3300 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Sok River. Lopatino II, Russia | View |
I0726 | Neolithic Turkey | 6400 BCE | Menteşe, Turkey | View |
I0103 | Corded Ware Culture, Germany | 2617 BCE | Esperstedt, Germany | View |
I0172 | Middle Neolithic Esperstedt, Germany | 3363 BCE | Esperstedt, Germany | View |
I0408 | Middle to Late Neolithic Spain | 3895 BCE | La Mina, Spain | View |
I0412 | Early Neolithic Spain | 5309 BCE | Els Trocs, Spain | View |
I0054 | Early Neolithic Linear Pottery Culture, Germany | 5216 BCE | Unterwiederstedt, Germany | View |
I0104 | Corded Ware Culture, Germany | 2563 BCE | Esperstedt, Germany | View |
I0116 | Early Bronze Age Unetice Culture, Germany | 2137 BCE | Esperstedt, Germany | View |
I0118 | Late Neolithic Alberstedt, Germany | 2469 BCE | Alberstedt, Germany | View |
I0406 | Middle to Late Neolithic Spain | 3900 BCE | La Mina, Spain | View |
I0410 | Early Neolithic Spain | 5298 BCE | Els Trocs, Spain | View |
I0413 | Early Neolithic Spain | 5304 BCE | Els Trocs, Spain | View |
I0235 | Srubnaya Culture | 1850 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Samara Steppes. Rozhdestveno I, Russia | View |
I0374 | Middle Bronze Poltavka | 2800 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Samara River. Nikolaevka III, Russia | View |
I1583 | Neolithic Turkey | 6424 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View |
I0581 | Chalcolithic Spain | 2900 BCE | Burgos. Atapuerca. El Mirador Cave, Spain | View |
I0440 | Middle Bronze Poltavka | 2887 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Sok River. Lopatino II, Russia | View |
I0371 | Middle Bronze Poltavka | 2871 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Sok River. Grachevka, Russia | View |
I0438 | Early Bronze Samara Yamnaya | 3020 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Samara River. Luzkhi I, Russia | View |
I0418 | Middle Bronze Poltavka | 2131 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Samara River. Utyevka VI, Russia | View |
I0099 | Late Bronze Age Halberstadt, Germany | 1202 BCE | Halberstadt-Sonntagsfeld, Germany | View |
I0047 | Early Bronze Age Unetice Culture, Germany | 2116 BCE | Halberstadt-Sonntagsfeld, Germany | View |
I1534 | Corded Ware Culture, Germany | 2500 BCE | Esperstedt, Germany | View |
I0060 | Bell Beaker Culture, Germany | 2404 BCE | Rothenschirmbach, Germany | View |
I0723 | Neolithic Turkey | 6008 BCE | Menteşe, Turkey | View |
I0724 | Neolithic Turkey | 6400 BCE | Menteşe, Turkey | View |
I0727 | Neolithic Turkey | 6400 BCE | Menteşe, Turkey | View |
I1580 | Neolithic Turkey | 6381 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View |
I1581 | Neolithic Turkey | 6386 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View |
I1585 | Neolithic Turkey | 6217 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View |
I1579 | Neolithic Turkey | 6221 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View |
I0854 | Neolithic Turkey | 6228 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View |
I0581 | 2900 BCE | Burgos. Atapuerca. El Mirador Cave, Spain | View | |
I0440 | 2887 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Sok River. Lopatino II, Russia | View | |
I0418 | 2131 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Samara River. Utyevka VI, Russia | View | |
I0438 | 3020 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Samara River. Luzkhi I, Russia | View | |
I0585 | 5982 BCE | Leon. La Brana-Arintero, Spain | View | |
I1534 | 2500 BCE | Esperstedt, Germany | View | |
I1504 | 987 BCE | Ludas-Varjú dűlő, Hungary | View | |
I0099 | 1202 BCE | Halberstadt-Sonntagsfeld, Germany | View | |
I0047 | 2116 BCE | Halberstadt-Sonntagsfeld, Germany | View | |
I1579 | 6221 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View | |
I1581 | 6386 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View | |
I1580 | 6381 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View | |
I1585 | 6217 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View | |
I1583 | 6424 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View | |
I0727 | 6400 BCE | Menteşe, Turkey | View | |
I0724 | 6400 BCE | Menteşe, Turkey | View | |
I0854 | 6228 BCE | Northwest Anatolia. Marmara. Barcın, Turkey | View | |
I0723 | 6008 BCE | Menteşe, Turkey | View | |
I0371 | 2871 BCE | Samara Oblast. Volga River Valley. Sok River. Grachevka, Russia | View | |
I0060 | 2404 BCE | Rothenschirmbach, Germany | View |
Ancient genetic admixture analysis compares the DNA profile of this individual (I1507) 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 (I1507) 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 I1507 are as follows. You can analyze its admixture using G25 Studio.
I1507,0.134998,0.12408476,0.0745148,0.06680972,0.04102936,0.03000156,0.00637656,0.01205444,0.00166468,-0.01957084,-0.00437512,-0.00042644,0.00831024,0.00500736,0.00614592,0.00155084,-0.0040236,-0.00077416,0.00187936,0.00083396,0.00450804,-0.00050536,-0.00052316,0.0080914,-0.00011662
Genome-wide patterns of selection in 230 ancient Eurasians
Ancient DNA makes it possible to observe natural selection directly by analysing samples from populations before, during and after adaptation events. Here we report a genome-wide scan for selection using ancient DNA, capitalizing on the largest ancient DNA data set yet assembled: 230 West Eurasians who lived between 6500 and 300 bc, including 163 with newly reported data. The new samples include, to our knowledge, the first genome-wide ancient DNA from Anatolian Neolithic farmers, whose genetic material we obtained by extracting from petrous bones, and who we show were members of the population that was the source of Europe's first farmers. We also report a transect of the steppe region in Samara between 5600 and 300 bc, which allows us to identify admixture into the steppe from at least two external sources. We detect selection at loci associated with diet, pigmentation and immunity, and two independent episodes of selection on height.