Publications by authors named "Maria Ines Fregeiro"
The Early Bronze Age in Europe is characterized by social and genetic transformations, starting in the early 3rd millennium BCE. New settlement and funerary structures, artifacts and techniques indicate times of change with increasing economic asymmetries and political hierarchization. Technological advances in metallurgy also played an important role, facilitating trade and exchange networks, which became tangible in higher levels of mobility and connectedness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The transition to the Bronze Age in southeastern Iberia involved significant social shifts, including the abandonment of Late Copper Age settlements for hilltop sites and a change in burial practices from collective graves to individual ones, indicating a hierarchical society.
- A genomic study was conducted that increased available data, revealing a turnover of Y-chromosome lineages and the introduction of steppe-related ancestry around 2200 cal BCE, correlating with the rise of the El Argar culture.
- The findings suggest a founder effect in male lineages, as males had more relatives at burial sites compared to females, but more complex genetic models indicate possible earlier contributions from Mediterranean populations beyond the expected two-source models.
Article Synopsis
- Agriculture arrived in the Iberian Peninsula around 5700 BCE, marking a shift in lifestyle from hunter-gatherers to farming communities.
- This study analyzes the mitochondrial DNA of 213 individuals across various regions of Iberia from the Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of prehistoric populations.
- The findings indicate a notable genetic continuity in the Early Neolithic lineages, with a higher presence of hunter-gatherer genes in Iberia compared to other parts of Europe, suggesting a unique population history for the region.