A recent study published in the journal Nature has explored the kinship and social structure of individuals from the Avar period in the Carpathian Basin. The ERC Synergy Grant project HistoGenes conducted genome-wide genetic, historical, and anthropological studies, along with isotope analyses of 424 human individuals from four fully examined cemeteries. The research revealed that approximately 300 of these individuals had close biological relations. As a result, the study was able to reconstruct several comprehensive pedigrees, with one tree spanning nine generations and a 250-year period. The research involved collaboration between various institutions, including the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, and the Curt Engelhorn Centre for Archaeometry in Mannheim.
Network of large family trees reveals social practices of human communities in the Avar period
The Avars, who originated from eastern Central Asia, ruled large parts of east-central Europe from the 6th to 9th centuries. They left behind a rich archaeological legacy, including around 100,000 graves. Archaeogenetic analyses now provide insights into their kinship structures and social practices.
The research discovered that although there was a strict patrilineal kinship system during the period, women played a significant role in social cohesion by forming partnerships outside their original communities, connecting different groups. The study also revealed evidence of multiple reproductive partnerships among both males and females, with some closely related males having offspring with the same mate. However, no evidence of incest was found, suggesting that the communities had a detailed memory of lineage across generations and followed rules prohibiting marriage within certain degrees of kinship. The study also found that the sudden end of an entire kinship line at one of the sites indicated the replacement of a family community, possibly linked to political changes, and accompanied by alterations in archaeological features and dietary habits.
The full article is available here.