News
24.09.2021
The Origin and Legacy of the Etruscans
A new study reports genome-wide data of ancient Italian individuals to trace the origins of the Etruscans and their contribution to later populations – Researchers present the first comprehensive ancient DNA data retrieved from peoples culturally affiliated with the iconic Etruscans in the journal Science Advances, settling a long-lasting debate on the origins of this highly skilled and enigmatic culture
The Etruscan civilization, which flourished during the Iron Age in central Italy, has intrigued scholars for millennia. With remarkable metallurgical skills and a now-extinct, non-Indo-European language, the Etruscans stood out from their contemporary neighbors, leading to intense debate from the likes of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus on their geographical origins.
Now, a new study by a team of scholars from Germany, Italy, USA, Denmark and the UK, sheds light on the origin and legacy of the enigmatic Etruscans with genome-wide data from 82 ancient individuals from central and southern Italy, spanning 800 BCE to 1000 CE. Their results show that the Etruscans, despite their unique cultural expressions, were closely related to their italic neighbors, and reveal major genetic transformations associated with historical events.
An intriguing phenomenon
Periods of change
Publication
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Cosimo Posth
University of Tübingen
Institut für Naturwissenschaftliche Archäologie
Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment
cosimo.posth @uni-tuebingen.de
Prof. Dr. Johannes Krause
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
krause @eva.mpg.de
Contact for press:
Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen
Public Relations Department
Dr. Karl Guido Rijkhoek
Director
Janna Eberhardt
Research Reporter
Phone +49 7071 29-76753
Fax +49 7071 29-5566
janna.eberhardt @uni-tuebingen.de
www.uni-tuebingen.de/en/university/news-and-publications
Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History
Public Relations & Press Office
AJ Zeilstra
+49 3641 686-950/-960
presse @shh.mpg.de
www.shh.mpg.de/