Archaeologists from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and the University of Murcia (UM) have challenged the long-held theory that warrior groups with a “Steppe” genetic component from Eastern Europe violently replaced the male population of the Iberian Peninsula around 4,200 years ago. Instead, their study suggests that groups with Steppe ancestry mixed with demographically weakened locals.
The researchers analyzed radiocarbon dates from human bones found in communal burials during the Copper Age and individual tombs from the Bronze Age El Argar society in southeast Spain. Their findings indicate a rapid change from communal to individual burials around 2,550-2,400 BCE, followed by a sudden drop in population around 2,300-2,250 BCE.
The team interprets this data as evidence that the inhabitants of southeastern Iberia were already scarce before the arrival of populations with new genetic components. When individuals with Steppe ancestry arrived around 2,200-2,000 BC, they simply mixed with small local groups or occupied uninhabited areas.
Previous archaeogenetic studies also suggest the absence of a “male bias” among peninsular groups with Steppe ancestry. This allows researchers to propose an alternative historical scenario that does not involve violent invasions and male elites.
The study highlights that the transition from the Copper Age to the Bronze Age in southern Iberia was characterized by a period of abrupt change, but with a gradual Steppe genetic influence. The team emphasizes the need for further high-precision radiocarbon dating and genetic analysis on human samples to better understand the nature, scale, and pace of the changes taking place during this time.
The research, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, has important implications for understanding the transition between the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age in southern Iberia.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2024-09-archaeologists-theory-violent-steppe-invasion.html