MAPPING THE EARLY SPREAD OF COPPER METALLURGY IN EUROPE: PICKING UP GENETIC TRAILS
MAPPING THE EARLY SPREAD OF COPPER METALLURGY IN EUROPE: PICKING UP GENETIC TRAILS

Summary/Abstract: This article addresses the diffusion of the early stages of European metallurgy. It suggests a community instrumental to its spread by mapping information from two sets of data: 1) identical by descent (IBD) autosomal chromosome segment sharing among ancient individuals from between around 4300–2000 BCE with individuals from the Chalcolithic buried in the Urziceni, Romania necropolis, a community known to be metallurgically competent, and 2) the location of copper metallurgical activity, copper mines, and selected gold artifacts, mainly in Europe but also in parts of Southwest Asia, in the same time frame. The information collected is consistent with identifying genetic descendants of individuals buried in the Urziceni necropolis as agents of metallurgical activity. The Urziceni necropolis is attributed to the Bodrogkeresztúr archaeological-cultural construct but belongs to the intra-Carpathian range of that culture. The results support formulating further questions concerning traces of metallurgical activity in Europe and parts of Southwest Asia.

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