A man buried in Czech Republic in the Pleistocene era
The Vestonice 14 site, located in the Czech Republic, is one of the key archaeological sites providing critical insights into the Upper Paleolithic era in Europe, particularly the Gravettian culture. This period extends roughly from 30,000 to 20,000 years ago, characterized by the development of more sophisticated tools and symbolic expression through art and burial practices.
Geographic and Environmental Context
The site of Dolní Věstonice, where Vestonice 14 was found, is situated in the Pavlov Hills region of southern Moravia. During the Paleolithic, this area was part of a cold, steppe-like environment that bordered glacial ice sheets to the north. The region provided an abundance of natural resources, including flint for tool-making and abundant fauna such as mammoths, reindeer, and other large mammals crucial for subsistence.
Archaeological Discoveries and Significance
The Vestonice 14 site is part of a cluster of important Paleolithic settlements that includes Dolní Věstonice, Pavlov, and Milovice. The site is renowned for its rich concentration of artifacts, including tools, art, and human remains. The site dates to around 29,000 to 25,000 years ago and provides key insights into the lives of Gravettian hunter-gatherers.
Tools and Technology: The artifacts unearthed at the site are indicative of the Gravettian tool industry, which is known for its distinctive flint blades, burins, and pointed tools. The presence of fire pits and evidence of structured living spaces suggest a degree of social organization and permanency beyond earlier nomadic groups.
Art and Symbolism: Dolní Věstonice is perhaps best known for its art. Among the most famous finds is the \Venus of Dolní Věstonice," a ceramic figurine dating to about 29,000 years ago, considered one of the oldest known examples of fired clay sculpture. The emphasis on figurative art, including both human and animal representations, suggests a complex symbolic culture and possibly ritualistic practices.
Human Remains and Social Structure: The site has yielded several burials, including remains identified as Vestonice 14. The discovery of these burials provides insights into social structures, health, diet, and burial practices. The arrangement of bodies, inclusion of grave goods, and use of red ochre in some burials highlight the presence of ritualistic or symbolic behavior.
Cultural and Social Insights
The complexity of the Vestonice 14 site and its contemporaries reveals much about the Gravettian people. They exhibited a developed sense of community, likely with a structured hierarchy or roles as indicated by elaborate burial sites. The variety of tools and artifacts also implies specialized craftsmanship, trade, and interaction among groups.
Social gatherings, possibly seasonal in nature, might have centered around large hunting events, given the evidence of massive mammoth remains. These gatherings could have been occasions for cultural exchange, strengthening social bonds, and perhaps forming alliances.
Conclusion
The Vestonice 14 site in the Czech Republic offers a profound glimpse into the lives of Upper Paleolithic humans during the Gravettian period. This era was marked by significant advancements in technology, social structure, and symbolic thought, laying the groundwork for future cultural developments in human history. The artifacts and human remains from this site continue to help archaeologists and anthropologists piece together the complex tapestry of prehistoric life in Europe."
Ancient genetic admixture analysis compares the DNA profile of this individual (Vestonice14) 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 (Vestonice14) 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 Vestonice14 are as follows. You can analyze its admixture using G25 Studio.
Vestonice14,0.06140064,0.0383808,0.01718514,0.05140564,0.0081639,-0.0022344,-0.0015894,0.00460826,0.02558058,0.0017692,0.00205552,0.00199558,-0.0012491,-0.0118841,0.0064987,-0.01058368,-0.01040546,-0.00223318,-0.00600354,-0.00679366,0.00505684,0.00670986,-0.00968598,-0.00087958,-0.00405142
The genetic history of Ice Age Europe
Modern humans arrived in Europe ~45,000 years ago, but little is known about their genetic composition before the start of farming ~8,500 years ago. Here we analyse genome-wide data from 51 Eurasians from ~45,000-7,000 years ago. Over this time, the proportion of Neanderthal DNA decreased from 3-6% to around 2%, consistent with natural selection against Neanderthal variants in modern humans. Whereas there is no evidence of the earliest modern humans in Europe contributing to the genetic composition of present-day Europeans, all individuals between ~37,000 and ~14,000 years ago descended from a single founder population which forms part of the ancestry of present-day Europeans. An ~35,000-year-old individual from northwest Europe represents an early branch of this founder population which was then displaced across a broad region, before reappearing in southwest Europe at the height of the last Ice Age ~19,000 years ago. During the major warming period after ~14,000 years ago, a genetic component related to present-day Near Easterners became widespread in Europe. These results document how population turnover and migration have been recurring themes of European prehistory.