Kinship analysis of 5th- to 6th-century skeletons of Romanized indigenous people from the Bled–Pristava archaeological site

Zupanič-Pajnič, Irena (author), Geršak, Živa Miriam (author), Leskovar, Tamara (author), Črešnar, Matija (author)

The familial relationship between skeletons buried together in a shared grave is important for understanding the burial practices of past human populations. Four skeletons were excavated from the Late Antiquity part of the Bled–Pristava burial site in Slovenia, dated to the 5th to 6th century. They were anthropologically characterized as two adults (a middle-aged man and a young woman) and two non-adults (of unknown sex). Based on stratigraphy, the skeletons were considered to be buried simultaneously in one grave. Our aim was to determine whether the skeletons were related. Petrous bones and teeth were used for genetic analysis. Specific precautions were followed to prevent contamination of ancient DNA with contemporary DNA, and an elimination database was established. Bone powder was obtained using a MillMix tissue homogenizer. Prior to extracting the DNA using Biorobot EZ1, 0.5 g of powder was decalcified. The PowerQuant System was used for quantification, various autosomal kits for autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) typing, and the PowerPlex Y23 kit for Y-STR typing. All analyses were performed in duplicate. Up to 28 ng DNA/g of powder was extracted from the samples analyzed. Almost full autosomal STR profiles obtained from all four skeletons and almost full Y-STR haplotypes obtained from two male skeletons were compared, and the possibility of a familial relationship was evaluated. No amplification was obtained in the negative controls, and no match was found in the elimination database. Autosomal STR statistical calculations confirmed that the adult male was the father of two non-adult individuals and one young adult individual from the grave. The relationship between the males (father and son) was additionally confirmed by an identical Y-STR haplotype that belonged to the E1b1b haplogroup, and a combined likelihood ratio for autosomal and Y-STRs was calculated. Kinship analysis confirmed with high confidence (kinship probability greater than 99.9% was calculated for all three children) that all four skeletons belonged to the same family (a father, two daughters, and a son). Through genetic analysis, the burial of members of the same family in a shared grave was confirmed as a burial practice of the population living in the Bled area in Late Antiquity.

• Language: English
• Keywords: kinship analysis, ancient DNA, petrous bones, archaeology, STR typing, multiple burial
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: MF - Faculty of Medicine; FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2023
• Number of pages: 7 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 65, art. 102886
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-148311-7735957d-f6fb-30cd-039a-ec8a6009602b
• UDC: 61
• ISSN on article: 1878-0326
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2023.102886
• COBISS.SI-ID: 150754563
• Publication date in RUL: 11.08.2023

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Forensic science international. Genetics
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 1878-0326
• COBISS.SI-ID: 32934361

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: analiza sorodstva, starodavna DNK, petrol kosti

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: J3-3080
• Name: Določitev predniškega porekla iz DNA za identifikacijske namene