Genome-wide autosomal, mtDNA, and Y chromosome analysis of King Bela III of the Hungarian Arpad dynasty

The ancient Hungarians, “Madzsars”, established their control of the Carpathian Basin in the late ninth century and founded the Hungarian Kingdom around 1000AD. The origin of the Magyars as a tribal federation has been much debated in the past. From the time of the conquest to the early fourteenth century they were ruled by descendants of the Arpad family. In order to learn more about the genetic origin of this family, we here analyzed the genome of Bela III one of the most prominent members of the early Hungarian dynasty that ruled the Hungarian Kingdom from 1172 to 1196. The Y-Chromosome of Bela III belongs to haplogroup R1a-Z2123 that is today found in highest frequency in Central Asia, supporting a Central Asian origin for the ruling lineage of the Hungarian kingdom. The autosomal DNA profile of Bela III, however, falls within the genetic variation of present-day east European populations. This is further supported through his mtDNA genome that belongs to haplogroup H, the most common European maternal lineage, but also found in Central Asia. However, we didn’t find an exact haplotype match for Bela III. The typical autosomal and maternal Central Eastern European ancestry among Bela III autosomes might be best explained by consecutive intermarriage with local European ruling families.

Contextualizing the Origin of the Greek Alphabet

The Greek alphabet likely appeared as a functional writing system in the late ninth century BC in a particular eastern Mediterranean locale, but the process by which it took shape is one that stretched chronologically from that moment back into the Bronze Age, and geographically from Anatolia and Syria-Palestine, through Cyprus, to Pylos, Knossos, and other Mycenaean palace sites. This chapter examines that formative process as one characterized by various episodes of the transfer of knowledge between structured systems-transfers that left traces of operational elements of earlier, pre-alphabetic systems within the emerging alphabet. It further explores a scenario in which this alphabetic system could have plausibly found motivation and achieved functionality among non-literate Greeks operating within the multi-lingual and multi-graphic context of the complex armies of the Neo-Assyrian empire.

BUILDING HIGH-PRECISION AMS 14C BAYESIAN MODELS FOR THE FORMATION OF PERI-ABANDONMENT DEPOSITS AT BAKING POT, BELIZE

ABSTRACT Deposits linked to abandonment have been widely recorded across the Maya lowlands, associated with the final activities occurring in ceremonial areas of Classic Maya centers. Various models have been applied to explain the activities that lie behind the formation of these contexts, including those linked to rapid abandonment (e.g., warfare) and others focused on more protracted events (termination rituals, and/or pilgrimages). Here, we assess Bayesian models for three chronological scenarios of varying tempo to explain the formation of peri-abandonment deposits at Baking Pot, Belize. Using stratigraphic information from these deposits, hieroglyphic dates recovered on artifacts, and direct dates on human skeletal remains and faunal remains from distinct layers in three deposits in Group B at Baking Pot, we identify multiple depositional events that spanned the eighth to ninth centuries AD. These results suggest that the processes associated with the breakdown of institutionalized rulership and its command of labor to construct and maintain ceremonial spaces were protracted at Baking Pot, with evidence for the final depositional activity dated to the mid-to-late ninth century. This interval of deposition was temporally distinct from the earlier deposition(s) in the eighth century. Together, these data offer a detailed view of the end of the Classic period at Baking Pot, in which the ceremonial spaces of the site slowly fell into disuse over a period of more than a century.

True Lies: Leo of Vercelli and the Struggle for Piedmont

This chapter investigates how the appointment of Leo to the episcopal seat of S. Eusebio opened a new chapter in Vercelli's history. Leo certainly exploited the opportunity of producing his own diplomas to cast Vercelli in the best possible light. In the tumultuous politics of the late ninth century, the see had been sacked at least once, resulting in substantial archival losses. Where elsewhere forgery was used to plug such gaps, Leo resorted to more subtle means of documentary manipulation: he improved one of the few surviving diplomas for his see (in the name of Charles the Fat), while furnishing his own texts with numerous historical asides, which helped anchor his claims in the bishopric's longer history. From the present perspective, the interest of Leo's experiences lies in the light they shed on the use and abuse of charters within the Italian realm. Leo's diplomas are genuine, even if their content is often tendentious. They provide a welcome reminder that modern scholarly judgements of forgery and authenticity are analytical, not moral, ones. Just as counterfeits can tell the truth, so authentic texts are often deeply deceitful.

Alfred’s Chronicle and the First Continuations

This chapter considers the vernacular chronicle produced at the court of King Alfred, its story, and its late-ninth-century evolution. It argues that this story was both dynastic history and a wider tale of English Christian history. It argues that seeing this chronicle as connected to the court rather than as deliberate royal propaganda solves some long-standing historical debates. Using the evidence of language and a comparative method involving Asser, surviving chronicles, and twelfth-century texts, it suggests that this chronicle was already an evolving text before 900. It questions the idea of deliberate circulation in the early 890s, suggesting an alternative model of copies made at different points. The early 890s were, nonetheless, a significant time of divergence and the beginning of the story of the separate development of vernacular chronicles.

The Transitional Period within Byzantium

The economic downturn that followed the death of Justinian in 565 was followed by significant loss of territories, including the collapse of the Balkan frontier and the loss of North Africa and Italy. In the East, Byzantium continued to struggle against the Persians and, after 634, the Arabs. Within Byzantium, society was disrupted by the so-called Iconoclast Controversy (726–843). Until the late ninth century, there was limited architectural production, on a reduced scale.

Sardinia

Starting from the late ninth century bce, groups of Phoenician sailors and merchants landed on the island of Sardinia, searching for resources—metals in particular—to trade along the trans-Mediterranean maritime network they had begun to establish. The earliest permanent Phoenician settlement dates back to the first half of the eighth century bce, and by the end of the following century new Phoenician settlements appeared, mainly on the coasts of Sardinia’s southern part. In this chapter, the author explores interactions between Phoenicians and the local Nuragic culture, which was thriving at the time of the newcomers’ arrival, and the spread of Phoenician material culture on the island. The chapter traces the patterns of Phoenician presence as outcomes of diversified forms of contact and interaction with Nuragic communities, varying significantly across the island throughout the Iron Age. The author lays out the basic features of Iron Age Nuragic society, and explores how and to what extent local communities made use of Phoenician material culture between the late ninth and eighth centuries bce. The chapter then moves to define the archaeological features of Phoenician sites, and focuses on interaction and the appearance of mixed communities, particularly at indigenous sites in the seventh and sixth centuries bce. Finally, the specific context of the Phoenician diaspora on Sardinia is set in the wider western Mediterranean contemporary scenario.

SITUATION VACANT: POTTER REQUIRED IN THE NEWLY FOUNDED LATE SAXON BURH OF NEWARK-ON-TRENT, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

The potters’ wheel was reintroduced to England in the late ninth century. It spread rapidly throughout eastern England, yet little is known about the mechanisms that facilitated its dissemination and success. This article presents the results of multidisciplinary research into the diffusion of this technology. Focusing on pottery production in late Saxon Newark, Nottinghamshire, an industry thought to have been founded by a potter(s) who had relocated from Torksey, Lincolnshire, this study offers a rare opportunity to examine the movements and craft practices of an individual artisan(s). By considering their manufacturing choices in the context of pottery distribution networks and the contemporary political, social and economic climate, it is demonstrated that the supply of pottery to Newark from regional production centres was restricted, creating a gap in the market and providing an incentive for a potter to relocate, encouraging the spread of the potters’ wheel throughout eastern England.