Abstract
The European Late Iron Age (4th-1st centuries BCE) is characterized by cultural exchanges favored by trade networks and human movements, including the southward movement of transalpine groups to the Italian Peninsula. Here, we investigate 92 individuals from the Northeastern Italian necropolis of Seminario Vescovile (SV, 3rd – 1st c. BCE) through paleogenomic analyses (genetic sex determination and kinship analyses) to contribute to the understanding of their social organization and obtain a first insight into the genetic profile of the individuals from this funerary context.
We successfully analyzed the ancient genomes (via shotgun plus nuclear and mtDNA enrichment data) of 90 individuals from SV, including 42 non-adults. Genetic sex assignment revealed 50 females (XX) and 40 males (XY), with a higher frequency of female non-adults (~ 43%). While male Y-Chromosomal haplogroups are primarily represented by the main haplogroup R1b* (~ 73%), mtDNA haplogroups assignment showed high genetic variation in the maternal lineages, including besides typical European lineages (e.g., H* and U*), an African haplogroup (L1). This was found in a non-adult female whose funerary treatment does not deviate from that observed in the rest of the burial site. Additionally, kinship analyses identified 20 cases of close biological relationships (up to the 3rd degree). However, kinships do not follow any specific spatial patterning, as burials of closely related individuals are located in distant necropolis areas. Comparative analyses confirm genetic diversity among individuals from SV and no genomic affinity with present-day populations from the same geographic area.
Overall, our findings indicate higher mobility of females compared to males, suggesting possibly patrilocality. Furthermore, the absence of specific kinship patterns emphasizes the complexity of social structures of ancient Iron Age groups from Northern Italy. Moreover, we reveal that the Iron Age individuals have contributed little to the gene pool of today's North-Eastern Italians.