Dataset Information

Vittrup Man – the life-history of a genetic foreigner in Neolithic Denmark

ABSTRACT: The deadly maltreated body of Vittrup Man was deposited in a Danish bog, probably as part of a ritualised sacrifice. It happened between c. 3300 and 3100 cal years BC, i.e., during the period of the local farming-based Funnel Beaker Culture. In terms of skull morphological features he differs from the majority of the contemporaneous farmers found in Denmark, and associates with hunter-gatherers, who inhabited Scandinavia during the previous millennia. His skeletal remains were selected for transdisciplinary analysis to reveal his life-history in terms of a population historical perspective. We report the combined results of an integrated set of genetic, isotopic, physical anthropological and archaeological analytical approaches. Strontium signature suggests a foreign birthplace that could be in Norway or Sweden. In addition, enamel oxygen isotope values indicate that as a child he lived in a colder climate, i.e., to the north of the regions inhabited by farmers. Genomic data in fact demonstrates that he is closely related to Mesolithic humans known from Norway and Sweden. Moreover, dietary stable isotope analyses on enamel and bone collagen demonstrate a fisher-hunter way of life in his childhood and a diet typical of farmers later on. Such a volatile life-history is also reflected by proteomic analysis of hardened organic deposits on his teeth, indicating the consumption of forager food (seal, whale and marine fish) as well as farmer food (sheep/goat). From a dietary isotopic transect of one of his teeth it is shown that his transfer between societies of foragers and farmers took place near to the end of his late teenage years.

INSTRUMENT(S): Q Exactive HF

ORGANISM(S): Homo Sapiens (human)

TISSUE(S): Dental Plaque

SUBMITTER: Gabriele Scorrano

LAB HEAD: Enrico Cappellini

PROVIDER: PXD044743 | Pride | 2024-02-16

REPOSITORIES: Pride

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Publications

Vittrup Man-The life-history of a genetic foreigner in Neolithic Denmark.

Fischer Anders A Sjögren Karl-Göran KG Jensen Theis Zetner Trolle TZT Jørkov Marie Louise ML Lysdahl Per P Vimala Tharsika T Refoyo-Martínez Alba A Scorrano Gabriele G Price T Douglas TD Gröcke Darren R DR Gotfredsen Anne Birgitte AB Sørensen Lasse L Alexandersen Verner V Wåhlin Sidsel S Stenderup Jesper J Bennike Ole O Ingason Andrés A Iversen Rune R Sikora Martin M Racimo Fernando F Willerslev Eske E Allentoft Morten E ME Kristiansen Kristian K

PloS one 20240214 2

The lethally maltreated body of Vittrup Man was deposited in a Danish bog, probably as part of a ritualised sacrifice. It happened between c. 3300 and 3100 cal years BC, i.e., during the period of the local farming-based Funnel Beaker Culture. In terms of skull morphological features, he differs from the majority of the contemporaneous farmers found in Denmark, and associates with hunter-gatherers, who inhabited Scandinavia during the previous millennia. His skeletal remains were selected for tr ...[more]

PMID: 38354111

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Dataset Information

Vittrup Man – the life-history of a genetic foreigner in Neolithic Denmark

Publications

Vittrup Man-The life-history of a genetic foreigner in Neolithic Denmark.

Similar Datasets

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