A woman buried in Russia in the Mesolithic era
The Yuzhny Oleny Ostrov culture represents a significant archaeological and historical enigma situated within the broader context of prehistoric Europe, specifically in the Pre-Baltic region. This culture dates back to the Mesolithic period, approximately 6,500 BCE to 5,500 BCE, and is primarily known through the detailed archaeological excavation of the burial ground on Yuzhny Oleny Ostrov (\Southern Deer Island") in Lake Onega in present-day northwestern Russia.
Geographic Context and Environment: The Yuzhny Oleny Ostrov culture thrived in an environment marked by post-glacial landscapes that included extensive woodlands, numerous rivers and lakes, and a cold climate transitioning towards the milder Holocene era. This geographical setting influenced their lifestyle, economy, and social structures, as the communities were nestled in a zone rich in deciduous and coniferous forests that provided ample resources for their subsistence strategies.
Subsistence and Economy: As a Mesolithic culture, the Yuzhny Oleny Ostrov people primarily relied on hunting, fishing, and gathering. Evidence suggests they hunted deer, elk, beaver, and a variety of birds, capitalizing on the abundant wildlife the forests and waterways offered. Fishing, supported by the proximity to freshwater resources, formed another pillar of their subsistence. The presence of fishhooks, nets, and other fishing implements in archaeological sites emphasizes their adeptness in exploiting aquatic resources. Plant gathering, though less documented, would have complemented their diet, including berries, nuts, and wild plants found in the forests.
Material Culture and Economy: The material culture of Yuzhny Oleny Ostrov includes a variety of stone tools, characterized by microlithic technology. These tools were fashioned from local raw materials, such as flint and quartz, and included blades, scrapers, and arrowheads, reflecting a highly skilled approach to tool-making. Additionally, evidence of bone and antler tools, such as harpoons and needles, suggest a diversified toolkit and reflect their expert craftsmanship in utilizing available natural resources.
Settlement Patterns: The settlement patterns of this culture indicate semi-permanent camps or villages strategically located near water bodies. These locations provided easy access to resources and facilitated transportation and communication. While the dwellings themselves have not survived, postholes and hearths suggest semi-subterranean structures that offered protection against the harsh climate.
Social Structure and Organization: The presence of a large burial site at Yuzhny Oleny Ostrov gives critical insights into the social and spiritual dimensions of this culture. Over 173 burials have been excavated, with rich grave goods accompanying many of the deceased. This suggests a stratified society with differential status and roles, possibly reflecting distinctions based on age, gender, or achievements. The burials also imply a belief system that valued the afterlife, with offerings that might have been made to accompany individuals into the next world.
Art and Symbolism: Artistic expressions in the Yuzhny Oleny Ostrov culture are evident in the form of personal adornments and decorations found in graves. Items such as pendants, beads, and intricately carved bone objects reflect both aesthetic sensibilities and possibly symbolic roles, serving as status symbols or spiritual talismans. Moreover, the craftsmanship and artistic presentation of these items indicate a developed cultural identity and shared values.
Spiritual and Ritual Practices: The extensive burial site, with its varying grave goods, points to complex ritual and spiritual beliefs. The inclusion of tools, ornaments, and food items in graves suggests practices oriented towards an afterlife or spiritual journey. The fact that some burials are richer than others implies a possible belief in an existence beyond death where one's earthly actions and status may have bearings.
Conclusion: The Yuzhny Oleny Ostrov culture exhibits typical features of a Mesolithic society but also reveals unique aspects shaped by its geographical setting, resource availability, and social complexities. While much about this culture remains to be discovered, especially regarding their symbolic and potentially proto-religious practices, they offer valuable insights into the transitional phases between hunter-gatherer ways of life and the advent of more settled and structured societies that would eventually lead to the Neolithic era in the region. Understanding this culture is crucial for grasping the broader prehistoric developments in the Pre-Baltic and Northern European contexts."
Ancient genetic admixture analysis compares the DNA profile of this individual (UOO035) 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 (UOO035) 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 UOO035 are as follows. You can analyze its admixture using G25 Studio.
UOO035,0.11412066,0.01496236,0.09432742,0.08553036,-0.00330068,0.02002282,-0.04119356,-0.04369294,-0.00460782,-0.03382424,0.0038723,-0.0080489,0.0174225,0.00824354,-0.0042436,0.00325464,-0.00158976,0.00031424,-0.0009825,0.0053595,0.00653914,0.00201542,0.00143568,0.00040922,0.00387767
Palaeogenomics of Upper Palaeolithic to Neolithic European hunter-gatherers
Modern humans have populated Europe for more than 45,000 years1,2. Our knowledge of the genetic relatedness and structure of ancient hunter-gatherers is however limited, owing to the scarceness and poor molecular preservation of human remains from that period3. Here we analyse 356 ancient hunter-gatherer genomes, including new genomic data for 116 individuals from 14 countries in western and central Eurasia, spanning between 35,000 and 5,000 years ago. We identify a genetic ancestry profile in individuals associated with Upper Palaeolithic Gravettian assemblages from western Europe that is distinct from contemporaneous groups related to this archaeological culture in central and southern Europe4, but resembles that of preceding individuals associated with the Aurignacian culture. This ancestry profile survived during the Last Glacial Maximum (25,000 to 19,000 years ago) in human populations from southwestern Europe associated with the Solutrean culture, and with the following Magdalenian culture that re-expanded northeastward after the Last Glacial Maximum. Conversely, we reveal a genetic turnover in southern Europe suggesting a local replacement of human groups around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, accompanied by a north-to-south dispersal of populations associated with the Epigravettian culture. From at least 14,000 years ago, an ancestry related to this culture spread from the south across the rest of Europe, largely replacing the Magdalenian-associated gene pool. After a period of limited admixture that spanned the beginning of the Mesolithic, we find genetic interactions between western and eastern European hunter-gatherers, who were also characterized by marked differences in phenotypically relevant variants.