A study published Wednesday detailed the DNA analysis of a mysterious warrior culture that inhabited Europe some 1,500 years ago and their strange societal practices.
Researchers analyzed hundreds of skeletons belonging to nine generations of the Avar culture who buried their dead in the Great Hungarian Plain and found their marital practices to be fairly specific, according to a study published in the journal Nature. Initial analysis revealed that men within the culture stayed within it while women married into the culture. It also appears that people had multiple partners within the society.
Avars were a nomadic people but appeared to settle in the Carpathian Basin in the 6th century, establishing huge cemeteries containing substantial tombs sometimes filled with weapons, horses, and jewelry, Live Science noted. The Avars’ rule in the region fell after the invasion of Charlemagne and his army around 800 A.D. Without any written history, the Avars left little for archaeologists to learn about their lives, except for their DNA and these consumer items.
DNA analysis spanning 9 generations of people reveals marriage practices of mysterious warrior culture https://t.co/ll1vxFthLJ
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Women in Avar societies came from more diverse origins than the men and women’s parents were not found in the cemeteries investigated throughout the study. Male Avars were found to descend from the males within their family tree and were buried together. (RELATED: Oldest Footprints In North America Officially Dated, And Big Archaeology Ain’t Gonna Like It)
Men and women often had children with more than one partner, often within the same family. This suggests that when a man died, his wife was passed along to other members of his bloodline. For example, the researchers found three pairs of fathers and sons, two sets of brothers, and even an uncle and nephew who each shared a female partner.
Archaeologists Confused Over Bizarre Discovery Of Animal Burial https://t.co/U5SRvlbN3G via @DailyCaller
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Studying these remains also revealed a major shift occurred in Avar society in the second half of the 7th century. Genetics shifted within the population, as well as food resources and grave styles, which researchers believe means a major political transition occurred at this time.
More research is needed to figure out what that transition entailed, but it just goes to show how quickly civilizations can rise, fall, and evolve.