Pic: National Geographic

In June 2008, the National Geographic reported that an ancient Dane with Arabian genes is part of a DNA study that suggests Scandinavians of 2,000 years ago were more genetically diverse than today. Researchers say the Iron Age man may have been a soldier serving on the Roman Empire’s northern frontier or a descendant of female slaves transported from the Middle East.

The Roman Empire at the time stretched as far as the Middle East, while Roman legions were based as far north as the River Elbe in northern Germany.

The study analyzed 18 well-preserved bodies from two burial sites dating from 0 to A.D. 400 in eastern Denmark. The sites were originally excavated some 20 years ago.

Mitochondrial DNA, which provides a genetic record of an individual’s maternal ancestry, was taken from teeth by a team led by Linea Melchior of the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the University of Copenhagen.

One skeleton had a type of DNA signature—known as a haplogroup—closely associated with the Arabian Peninsula, according to Melchior.

It’s especially found among some Bedouin tribes, but it has also been found in the southern part of Europe.

the researcher said.

Iron Age Grave

The skeleton came from Bøgebjerggård, an Iron Age site on the southern part of the island of Sjælland (Zealand).

(See a map of Denmark.)

The bodies likely belonged to poor farmers, the team said.

Other unusual haplogroups were identified, including one representing a prehistoric European lineage which today is found in only about 2 percent of Danes, Melchior said.

It may have been one of the ancient Nordic types which has been diluted by later immigrations from Scandinavia and Germany.

she said.

In contrast, the other burial site, at nearby Skovgaarde, contained bodies with a genetic signature common to modern Scandinavians, the study found.

They were typically of a Nordic type and the diversity is lower.

Melchior said.

This group consisted mainly of women and was distinguished by rich grave goods, including finely made rings, necklaces, and ornate hairpins.

You can see they were dressed up very nicely with beautiful jewelry before being buried.

Melchior said.

The Skovgaarde burials are thought to represent the elite of society—people the researchers think arrived from elsewhere in Scandinavia.

The findings, published in November in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, are part of a wider study that suggests Denmark’s ancient populations were much more diverse genetically than they are today.

The female skull above

This female skull with a hairpin was found in an ancient, upscale graveyard in Skovgaarde, Denmark, where the 2000-year-old remains hold a genetic signature also carried by Scandinavians today, scientists say.

Meanwhile DNA analysis of another skull (not pictured), from a grave site in nearby Bøgebjerggård, found evidence of Arabian genes.

The findings suggest ancient Denmark’s genetic diversity may have exceeded that of today in some, but not all, parts of society.

Both grave sites are on the southern part of island of Sjælland (Zealand).

Photograph by P. Ethelberg/Sydsjllands Museum, 2000

Read the full story on the National Geographic site.

Originally posted 2009-06-07 08:25:37. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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