The Legacy of the Avars: Reconstructing Communities and Kinship Through Archaeogenetics

Tuesday - April 30 2024, 02:35 UTC - 6 months ago

The Avars were a nomadic steppe people who ruled parts of Eastern Central Europe for over 250 years. Thanks to new advancements in archaeogenetics, a multinational research team was able to reconstruct their communities and trace kinship patterns up to the tenth degree. This groundbreaking research has provided new insights into Avar society and the impact of their migration from the East Asian and Pontic steppes to Europe.

The Avars were a nomadic steppe people who dominated large parts of Eastern Central Europe from the 6th to the 9th century CE. Despite their significant impact on European history, they are often overshadowed by their predecessors, the Huns. However, their rich archaeological legacy, with over 100,000 excavated graves, has shed new light on their society and way of life, thanks to the emerging field of archaeogenetics.

The Avars were known for their distinct funeral customs, which involved burying their dead with precious objects and in unique positions. These practices, combined with written accounts from neighboring civilizations, have provided insights into their social organization and customs. However, it wasn't until recent advancements in genetic technology that a more comprehensive understanding of Avar communities was possible.

The European Research Council funded a multidisciplinary research team, called HistoGenes, to study Avar communities using a combination of archaeological, anthropological, and historical information, along with cutting-edge genetic and bioinformatic methods. This team included researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, and other institutions in Hungary, Austria, and the United States.

One of the key questions the team sought to answer was how individuals within Avar communities were related to each other. By analyzing ancient DNA, they were able to trace kinship patterns up to the sixth to tenth degree, providing a new perspective on the social organization of the Avars.

One of the challenges faced by the team was the lack of information on the internal structure of Avar clans. This was due to historical records being written by their enemies, such as the Byzantines and Franks, leaving out crucial details about their society. Women, in particular, were underrepresented in these records, with only three incidental mentions, making it difficult to understand their role in Avar communities.

Another question that archaeogenetics has helped shed light on is the origin of the Avars and their interactions with the European population. It is known that they migrated from the East Asian and Pontic steppes, but the extent to which they maintained their traditional way of life in Europe is still a topic of debate. With the use of genetic analysis, the HistoGenes team has been able to investigate the genetic makeup of the Avars and their interactions within their new environment.

The success of this groundbreaking research can be attributed to the team's unique approach. Rather than focusing on individual burials, as is common in ancient DNA studies, they aimed to study whole communities by sampling all individuals from the cemeteries. This provided a more comprehensive understanding of kinship patterns, social practices, and population development within Avar communities.

In conclusion, the work of the HistoGenes team has shed new light on the mysterious Avars and their impact on Eastern Central Europe. Through a combination of cutting-edge technology and a multidisciplinary approach, they have been able to reconstruct Avar communities and provide insights into their social organization and kinship patterns. This groundbreaking research serves as an example of the potential of archaeogenetics in uncovering the secrets of our past.