The Homo sapiens Atapuerca were related to Eastern … – RTVE

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The collective grave with 23 individuals of Homo sapiens found in El Mirador. IPHES

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The analysis of mitochondrial DNA of individuals of the species Homo sapiens found in the Cave of El Mirador, in Atapuerca (Burgos) has revealed that have genetic affinities with the Middle East and Germany .

Y is makes between 4,760 and 4,200 years the cave served as a burial place and there were deposited at least 23 individuals Homo sapiens.

A 19 of them have been rendered mitochondrial DNA in order to know where they came from and who they were genetically related, among other issues, reports IPHES.

The research gives clues about these questions was conducted by a team from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) in which participated the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES) and published in the journal PLoS One.

” This research shows that the Chalcolithic population of El Mirador has affinities with groups from the Middle East and fits in the Middle Neolithic populations and final of Germany, as Rossen cultures Salzmünde Balberge i, but has no relation to contemporary Beaker culture “qualifies Marina Lozano, IPHES researcher, which is among the signatories of the article.

So, it appears that during the Middle Neolithic and the end was a genetic signal common in Central and West Europe, but throughout the Chalcolithic the picture becomes much more heterogeneous with the presence of more groups.

The traditional hypothesis is that the Beaker culture developed in European Atlantic coast and from there spread to the rest of Europe.

The discovery of ancient sites in Portugal with ceramic that culture, suggests that the origin is in the area the mouth of the Tagus River .

The socioeconomic basis of populations was livestock (herds of goats and sheep), the production of cereals (wheat and barley, and some legumes) and occasionally, complement the animal part of the diet with hunting.

These are the first DNA analysis was performed on remains discovered in El Mirador. The research was conducted as part of a larger work on the genetic makeup of contemporary culture Beaker European populations, although Homo sapiens that cave art did not belong to this tradition because not manufactured or used the same type of ceramic.