Songül Alpaslan-Roodenberg
Harvard Medical School, Genetics, Department Member
- Ancient DNA Research, Stable Isotope Analysis, International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, Palaeopathology, Anatolian Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, and 26 moreNeolithic Archaeology, Paleoanthropology, Near Eastern Archaeology, Forensic Anthropology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Population Genetics, Anthropology, Languages and Linguistics, Cultural Studies, Humanities, Geometric Morphometrics, Funerary Archaeology, Balkan prehistory, Neanderthals (Palaeolithic Archaeology), Palaeolithic Archaeology, Neolithic Transition, Neolithisation, Mesolithic/Neolithic, Neolithic & Chalcolithic Archaeology, Death and Burial (Archaeology), Early Bronze Age (Archaeology), Osteoarchaeology, Bioarchaeology, Human Osteology, Hittite archaeology, and Ancient Indo-European Languagesedit
- Physical and paleoanthropologist (Ph.D., Ankara), Assoc. Professor/Doçent (ÜAK, TÜRKİYE)edit
Research Interests: Prehistoric Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, Archaeobotany, Anatolian Studies, Pottery (Archaeology), and 7 moreAnatolian Archaeology, Archaeozoology, Bronze Age Europe (Archaeology), Neolithic & Chalcolithic Archaeology, Physical Anthropology, Osteoarchaeology, and Early Bronze Age (Archaeology)
Between 10,000 and 9,000 bc, humans began practicing agriculture in the Near East 1. In the ensuing five millennia, plants and animals domesticated in the Near East spread throughout West Eurasia (a vast region that also includes Europe)... more
Between 10,000 and 9,000 bc, humans began practicing agriculture in the Near East 1. In the ensuing five millennia, plants and animals domesticated in the Near East spread throughout West Eurasia (a vast region that also includes Europe) and beyond. The relative homoge-neity of present-day West Eurasians in a world context 2 suggests the possibility of extensive migration and admixture that homogenized geographically and genetically disparate sources of ancestry. The spread of the world's first farmers from the Near East would have been a mechanism for such homogenization. To date, however, owing to the poor preservation of DNA in warm climates, it has been impossible to study the population structure and history of the first farmers and to trace their contribution to later populations. In order to overcome the obstacle of poor DNA preservation, we took advantage of two methodological developments. First, we sampled from the inner ear region of the petrous bone 3,4 which can yield up to ~ 100 times more endogenous DNA than other skeletal elements 4. Second, we used in-solution hybridization 5 to enrich extracted DNA for about 1.2 million single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) targets 6,7 , making efficient sequencing practical by filtering out microbial and non-informative human DNA. We merged all sequences extracted from each individual, and randomly sampled a single sequence with minimum mapping and sequence quality to represent each SNP, restricting our investigation to individuals with at least 9,000 SNPs covered at least once (Methods). We obtained genome-wide data that passed We report genome-wide ancient DNA from 44 ancient Near Easterners ranging in time between ~12,000 and 1,400 bc, from Natufian hunter–gatherers to Bronze Age farmers. We show that the earliest populations of the Near East derived around half their ancestry from a 'Basal Eurasian' lineage that had little if any Neanderthal admixture and that separated from other non-African lineages before their separation from each other. The first farmers of the southern Levant (Israel and Jordan) and Zagros Mountains (Iran) were strongly genetically differentiated, and each descended from local hunter– gatherers. By the time of the Bronze Age, these two populations and Anatolian-related farmers had mixed with each other and with the hunter–gatherers of Europe to greatly reduce genetic differentiation. The impact of the Near Eastern farmers extended beyond the Near East: farmers related to those of Anatolia spread westward into Europe; farmers related to those of the Levant spread southward into East Africa; farmers related to those of Iran spread northward into the Eurasian steppe; and people related to both the early farmers of Iran and to the pastoralists of the Eurasian steppe spread eastward into South Asia.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Geochemistry, Biological Anthropology, Stable Isotope Analysis, and 11 moreBioarchaeology, Archaeological Science, Anatolian Archaeology, Stable Isotopes, Neolithic Archaeology, Physical Anthropology, Osteoarchaeology, Scientific Archaeology, Human Osteology, Aktopraklık, and Kuzeybatı Anadolu Prehistoryası
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Ancient DNA makes it possible to observe natural selection directly by analysing samples from populations before, during and after adaptation events. Here we report a genome-wide scan for selection using ancient DNA, capitalizing on the... more
Ancient DNA makes it possible to observe natural selection directly by analysing samples from populations before, during and after adaptation events. Here we report a genome-wide scan for selection using ancient DNA, capitalizing on the largest ancient DNA data set yet assembled: 230 West Eurasians who lived between 6500 and 300 bce, including 163 with newly reported data. The new samples include, to our knowledge, the first genome-wide ancient DNA from Anatolian Neolithic farmers, whose genetic material we obtained by extracting from petrous bones, and who we show were members of the population that was the source of Europe’s first farmers. We also report a complete transect of the steppe region in Samara between 5500 and 300 bce, which allows us to identify admixture into the steppe from at least two external sources. We detect selection at loci associated with diet, pigmentation and immunity, and two independent episodes of selection on height.
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Waar de geschiedenis begon Nederlandse onderzoekers in de ban van spijkerschrift, hiërogliefen en aardewerk Uitgave naar aanleiding van het 75-jarig bestaan van het Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten, 1939-2014 o.e. Kaper en J.g.... more
Waar de geschiedenis begon Nederlandse onderzoekers in de ban van spijkerschrift, hiërogliefen en aardewerk Uitgave naar aanleiding van het 75-jarig bestaan van het Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten, 1939-2014 o.e. Kaper en J.g. dercksen (red.), 2014.
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The invention and development of next or second generation sequencing methods has re- sulted in a dramatic transformation of ancient DNA research and allowed shotgun sequenc- ing of entire genomes from fossil specimens. However, although... more
The invention and development of next or second generation sequencing methods has re- sulted in a dramatic transformation of ancient DNA research and allowed shotgun sequenc- ing of entire genomes from fossil specimens. However, although there are exceptions, most fossil specimens contain only low (~ 1% or less) percentages of endogenous DNA. The only skeletal element for which a systematically higher endogenous DNA content compared to other skeletal elements has been shown is the petrous part of the temporal bone. In this study we investigate whether (a) different parts of the petrous bone of archaeological human specimens give different percentages of endogenous DNA yields, (b) there are sig- nificant differences in average DNA read lengths, damage patterns and total DNA concen- tration, and (c) it is possible to obtain endogenous ancient DNA from petrous bones from hot environments. We carried out intra-petrous comparisons for ten petrous bones from specimens from Holocene archaeological contexts across Eurasia dated between 10,000- 1,800 calibrated years before present (cal. BP). We obtained shotgun DNA sequences from three distinct areas within the petrous: a spongy part of trabecular bone (part A), the dense part of cortical bone encircling the osseous inner ear, or otic capsule (part B), and the dense part within the otic capsule (part C). Our results confirm that dense bone parts of the petrous bone can provide high endogenous aDNA yields and indicate that endogenous DNA frac- tions for part C can exceed those obtained for part B by up to 65-fold and those from part Aby up to 177-fold, while total endogenous DNA concentrations are up to 126-fold and 109- fold higher for these comparisons. Our results also show that while endogenous yields from part C were lower than 1% for samples from hot (both arid and humid) parts, the DNA dam- age patterns indicate that at least some of the reads originate from ancient DNA molecules, potentially enabling ancient DNA analyses of samples from hot regions that are otherwise not amenable to ancient DNA analyses.
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1 A comprehensive ac- count on Yabalkovo’s human remains appeared in Prähistorische Zeitschrift 2013, 88(1) (Alpaslan Roodenberg, Todorova, Petrova 23-37). All human burials and isolated re- mains have been sampled for a DNA analysis... more
1 A comprehensive ac- count on Yabalkovo’s human remains appeared in Prähistorische Zeitschrift 2013, 88(1) (Alpaslan Roodenberg, Todorova, Petrova 23-37). All human burials and isolated re- mains have been sampled for a DNA analysis within the ERC Project ‘From the earliest modern humans to the onset of farming (45,000-4,500 BP)’. The results of the stable isotope analysis are published in this volume (Budd and Lillie, this volume). Radiocarbon dates obtained from the first two skeletons are reported and commented by J. Roodenberg in this volume.
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The Human Burials of Yabalkovo Abstract: Yabalkovo, ein erst jüngst ergrabener frühneoli- thischer Fundplatz im Tal der Mariza im Südosten Bulga- riens, ist eine der größten prähistorischen Siedlungen des östlichen Balkan. In diesem... more
The Human Burials of Yabalkovo
Abstract: Yabalkovo, ein erst jüngst ergrabener frühneoli- thischer Fundplatz im Tal der Mariza im Südosten Bulga- riens, ist eine der größten prähistorischen Siedlungen des östlichen Balkan. In diesem Beitrag werden sechs Bestat- tungen sowie einige in der Siedlung entdeckte isolierte menschliche Überreste detailiert vorgestellt und sowohl aus archäologischer wie anthropologischer Sicht disku- tiert.
Genauer beleuchtet werden ferner die Demographie und Bestattungssitten der Fundstelle sowie jüngere Unter- suchungen zahlreicher Bestattungen des nordwestlichen Anatolien zur Deutung herangezogen.
Keywords: Frühes Neolithikum; südöstliches Bulgarien; menzschliche Bestattungen; Pathologie; Verletzungen.
Abstract: Yabalkovo, un site daté du Néolithique ancien, situé dans la vallée de la Maritsa dans le Sud-Est de la Bul- garie et récemment fouillé, appartient aux plus grandes installations préhistoriques des Balkans orientaux. Dans cet article les aspects archéologiques autant qu’anthropo- logiques de six sépultures humaines et quelques os isolés sont présentés en détail. Les nombreuses sépultures contemporaines découvertes en Anatolie du Nord-Ouest en particulier permettent une juxtaposition comparative des données démographiques et funéraires.
Keywords: Néolithique ancien; Bulgarie du Sud-Est; sé- pultures; pathologie; traumatisme.
Abstract: Yabalkovo, a newly excavated Early Neolithic site in the Maritsa river valley in southeastern Bulgaria, is one of the biggest prehistoric settlements of the eastern Balkans. In this article six burials and some isolated human remains discovered in the settlement context will be discussed in detail from an archaeological as well as anthropological point of view. Comparisons about de- mography and funeral customs were made in particular with contemporary human data from the numerous burials investigated in Northwestern Anatolia.
Abstract: Yabalkovo, ein erst jüngst ergrabener frühneoli- thischer Fundplatz im Tal der Mariza im Südosten Bulga- riens, ist eine der größten prähistorischen Siedlungen des östlichen Balkan. In diesem Beitrag werden sechs Bestat- tungen sowie einige in der Siedlung entdeckte isolierte menschliche Überreste detailiert vorgestellt und sowohl aus archäologischer wie anthropologischer Sicht disku- tiert.
Genauer beleuchtet werden ferner die Demographie und Bestattungssitten der Fundstelle sowie jüngere Unter- suchungen zahlreicher Bestattungen des nordwestlichen Anatolien zur Deutung herangezogen.
Keywords: Frühes Neolithikum; südöstliches Bulgarien; menzschliche Bestattungen; Pathologie; Verletzungen.
Abstract: Yabalkovo, un site daté du Néolithique ancien, situé dans la vallée de la Maritsa dans le Sud-Est de la Bul- garie et récemment fouillé, appartient aux plus grandes installations préhistoriques des Balkans orientaux. Dans cet article les aspects archéologiques autant qu’anthropo- logiques de six sépultures humaines et quelques os isolés sont présentés en détail. Les nombreuses sépultures contemporaines découvertes en Anatolie du Nord-Ouest en particulier permettent une juxtaposition comparative des données démographiques et funéraires.
Keywords: Néolithique ancien; Bulgarie du Sud-Est; sé- pultures; pathologie; traumatisme.
Abstract: Yabalkovo, a newly excavated Early Neolithic site in the Maritsa river valley in southeastern Bulgaria, is one of the biggest prehistoric settlements of the eastern Balkans. In this article six burials and some isolated human remains discovered in the settlement context will be discussed in detail from an archaeological as well as anthropological point of view. Comparisons about de- mography and funeral customs were made in particular with contemporary human data from the numerous burials investigated in Northwestern Anatolia.
Research Interests: Prehistoric Archaeology, Anthropology, Biological Anthropology, Forensic Anthropology, Anatolian Archaeology, and 16 moreHuman Anatomy (Biological Anthropology), Neolithic Archaeology, Neolithic & Chalcolithic Archaeology, Physical Anthropology, Death and Burial (Archaeology), Forensic Pathology, Burial Practices (Archaeology), Balkan archaeology, Balkan prehistory, Prehistory, Anatolian Prehistory, Neolithic, Neolithic of the Balkans, Early Neolithic, Archaeology of death and burial, and Burial Customs
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Research Interests: Prehistoric Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, Bioarchaeology, Middle East Studies, Mediterranean prehistory, and 9 moreAnatolian Archaeology, Bronze Age Europe (Archaeology), Physical Anthropology, Osteoarchaeology, Balkan prehistory, Early Bronze Age (Archaeology), Mesolithic, Neolithic and Eneolithic Populations of East Europe, Diet Reconstructions, and Paleopathology, Paleodemography
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... Document Details : Title: A Preliminary Study of the Burials from Late Neolithic-Early Chalcolithic Aktopraklik Author(s): ALPASLAN ROODENBERG, M. Songül Journal: Anatolica Volume: 37 Date: 2011 Pages: 17-43 DOI:... more
... Document Details : Title: A Preliminary Study of the Burials from Late Neolithic-Early Chalcolithic Aktopraklik Author(s): ALPASLAN ROODENBERG, M. Songül Journal: Anatolica Volume: 37 Date: 2011 Pages: 17-43 DOI: 10.2143/ANA.37.0.2073783 Abstract : Aktopraklık Höyük ...
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This paper presents the results of stable isotope (carbon and nitrogen) analysis of human and faunal remains from the site of Aktopraklık, one of the earliest farming sites in the Eastern Marmara region of Northwest Anatolia. Excavations... more
This paper presents the results of stable isotope (carbon and nitrogen) analysis of human and faunal remains from the site of Aktopraklık, one of the earliest farming sites in the Eastern Marmara region of Northwest Anatolia. Excavations at this site have shown that occupation occurs from the middle of the 7th millennium BC through to the middle of the 6th millennium BC. The earliest Neolithic activity at this location occurs at the settlement site of Aktopraklık C. Since 2004 a number of Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic burials have been recovered from the settlement areas and an Early Chalcolithic cemetery (Aktopraklık B and A respectively). To date a total of 60 individuals have been recovered from Aktopraklık, 23 of which (20 adults [10 males, 8 females and 2 indet adults] and 3 children below ca. 12 years of age) form the basis of the current isotope study. In addition, 14 faunal samples from cattle, pig, sheep/goat and fallow deer are included in the analysis in order to facilitate a consideration of trophic level shifts and to interpret the 13C data. The data represents the first isotopic study of a farming community from this region of Anatolia. This region is important to our understanding of the north-westwards transmission of farming into Europe from the Near East, and as such Aktopraklık represents a key site for studying the diet of farmers at the transition to agriculture. The close clustering of isotope values overall indicates homogeneity in subsistence practices for this farming population. Interestingly, the isotope values indicate a general focus on C3 terrestrial resources at Aktopraklık, despite the close proximity of both freshwater and marine environments where alternative resources could have been procured.► First insights into Late Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic diet in the Marmara region. ► Slight shift in diet between Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods is indicated. ► The consumption of aquatic resources is not supported by the data.