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The bacteria Yersinia pestis is the etiological agent of plague and has caused human pandemics with millions of deaths in historic times. How and when it originated remains contentious. Here, we report the oldest direct evidence of Yersinia pestis identified by ancient DNA in human teeth from Asia and Europe dating from 2,800 to 5,000 years ago. By sequencing the genomes, we find that these ancient plague strains are basal to all known Yersinia pestis. We find the origins of the Yersinia pestis lineage to be at least two times older than previous estimates. We also identify a temporal sequence of genetic changes that lead to increased virulence and the emergence of the bubonic plague. Our results show that plague infection was endemic in the human populations of Eurasia at least 3,000 years before any historical recordings of pandemics.

The Bronze Age of Eurasia (around 3000-1000 BC) was a period of major cultural changes. However, there is debate about whether these changes resulted from the circulation of ideas or from human migrations, potentially also facilitating the spread of languages and certain phenotypic traits. We investigated this by using new, improved methods to sequence low-coverage genomes from 101 ancient humans from across Eurasia. We show that the Bronze Age was a highly dynamic period involving large-scale population migrations and replacements, responsible for shaping major parts of present-day demographic structure in both Europe and Asia. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesized spread of Indo-European languages during the Early Bronze Age. We also demonstrate that light skin pigmentation in Europeans was already present at high frequency in the Bronze Age, but not lactose tolerance, indicating a more recent onset of positive selection on lactose tolerance than previously thought.

The idea to publish a series of short articles on the history of Tartu came from my late colleague Aadu Must who urged me and my colleagues to profoundly think about the history of Tartu in 2024 and to also write a series of articles on that theme - after all, Tartu is the cultural capital of Europe this year. Moreover, this year marks the passing of 800 years since the city of Tartu was founded. This essay on the prehistory of Tartu is thus the first of a series of short articles, which will be published in this year's Tuna issues. The focal point of my essay is Toomemägi, where my latest archaeological excavations ended just a few months ago. From there, the story of Tartu before it became a town begins to unfold. The oldest archaeological find from Toomemägi, a flint scraper, dates back to the Stone Age. Several settlement and burial sites from this period, as well as stray finds, are known from both Tartu and its surrounding areas. The banks of the Emajõgi River provided suitable living environments for Stone Age hunter-fisher-gatherers since at least 8,000 years BC. During the Corded Ware culture period, in the third millennium BC, settlement and burial sites were established at some distance from the immediate riverbank, which might have been due to raising livestock and perhaps also grain cultivation. Our knowledge of habitation in the Tartu region in the Bronze Age is scant, and is based only on a few randomly discovered stone axes. Clearer traces of settlement, marked by potsherds with a striated surface, date back to a few centuries before and after the beginning of the Common Era. Fragments of such pottery have been found on Toomemägi and in various parts of Tartu's later downtown. They likely indicate the locations of farms. Remains of ancient fields found on Toome due to the ard marks visible on sand surfaces possibly date back to the same period. In the late centuries of prehistory, the establishment of Tartu developed or continued at a much livelier pace. Probably in the 8th century AD, a stronghold was built at the location of the current observatory. Nearby, on Toomemägi, there was a settlement area, which might even have been a pre-fortress. The village was located at the base of the hillfort facing the river. This phase of the settlement site might possibly have ended by the year 1030 as a result of a military campaign led by Grand Prince Yaroslav I of Kiev, which is documented in the Old Russian chronicle Tale of Bygone Years. After the conquest, the settlement site recovered and expanded. The stronghold and the presumed pre-fortress were rebuilt, and an even larger village was established once again at the base of the hillfort, on the bank of the Emajõgi River. A part of a building excavated last year on Toomemägi, which had been burned down, is likely also from this period. Presumably, this fire was part of a conflagration caused by the Sosols' military campaign described in the Russian chronicle in 1061. This ended the Kievan Rus' era in Tartu, which lasted three decades. The subsequent period in Tartu, until the beginning of the 13th century, is characterised by very limited knowledge and requires in-depth archaeological investigations in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Praehistorische Zeitschrift is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Estonian Journal of Archaeology is the property of Teaduste Akadeemia Kirjastus and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Estonian Journal of Archaeology is the property of Teaduste Akadeemia Kirjastus and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Methods of palaeogeographical modelling of possible freshwater bodies based on open access datasets provided by the Estonian Land Board are discussed, along with the landscape use of the recently surveyed palaeolagoons at the mouths of the rivers Vihterpalu, Teenuse and Velise (western Estonia) after Litorina Sea transgression maximum (ca 5300 BC). The site clusters by the Vihterpalu palaeolagoon can be dated to the Pre-Pottery Mesolithic or Narva stage (until 5200 BC and 5200–3900 BC, respectively). Human activity by the Velise lagoon probably started at the same time and intensified during the Comb Ware stage (3900–1750 BC). Two mineral surface depressions, sufficient to accommodate remnant lakes and presently covered by peat layers of mires deserve further attention. They are located in the Seljaküla, Variku and Keedika villages behind the coastal formations observable by the road connecting the Keila– Haapsalu main road with Nõva village. Similar depressions behind the coastal formations in the Teenuse–Velise area are not sufficient for freshwater bodies. The spatial pattern of smallscale aceramic settlement sites by the tributaries of the present-day River Kasari up to 10 km from the palaeocoastline suggests a highly persistent seasonal land use during the Comb Ware stage, comparable to the Neolithic settlement phase of Kunda Lammasmägi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The settlement site of Jägala Jõesuu V is located in northern Estonia in the village of Jõesuu, about 200 m from the eastern bank of the Jägala River and about 2 km from the present-day coast of the Baltic Sea. It was discovered during the fieldwork in 2011, and 275 m² was researched during rescue excavations in the course of road renovation. The remains of one pithouse (partly excavated), several pits and fireplaces were found. The collection of finds (11 454 artefacts and ecofacts) consists of potsherds of Comb Ware, tools and debris of quartz and flint, burnt bones, hazelnut shells, etc. The excavation technique, as well as the fact that the site was a relatively short-term and undisturbed complex, provided a good basis for spatial analysis that identified at least five concentration zones of finds. The largest concentration (61% of all finds) is related to the filling of the pit-house, >2.8 × 5.3 m in size and with pits inside it. The second large concentration zone (10% of all finds) contains the same find categories as the pit-house, but in different proportions, and it is assumed to be the remains of an above-ground construction measuring about 6 × 3 m. Three other concentrations, which in one case mostly contain flint and quartz artefacts (diameter ca 2.5 m) and quartz in the other two cases (ca 1.5 and 3 m in diameter) can be associated with outdoor activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attenuated total reflection‐Fourier transform‐infrared spectroscopy (ATR‐FT‐IR) analysis of 100 adhesive samples from different prehistoric composite artefacts, pottery, and amorphous lumps across Eastern Europe and Urals were conducted with the aim to establish a fast analytical screening method for adhesive assignment. The ATR‐FT‐IR analysis allowed the identification of major chemical components of the adhesive samples that were assigned to three main groups: birch bark tar without major additives, birch bark tar with additives, and minor/non‐birch bark tar samples. ATR‐FT‐IR spectra were further analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA)‐based discriminant analysis (DA) that allowed additional refinement of adhesive classifications. The ATR‐FT‐IR results and the DA classification were confirmed by analyzing a selection of samples with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Results demonstrate that ATR‐FT‐IR coupled with DA classification allows fast and reliable preliminary identification of the major components in archaeological adhesives and their further classification. As such it is a considerable and faster alternative to more laborious GC–MS analysis, especially in the case of very small samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the archaeological finds from the northern shore of the Lake Võrtsjärv in Viljandi County, Estonia in 1996, 2015 and 2022. Among the artifacts are stone axe, iron spearheads, coins, and fragments of clay vessels. Also cited is the discovery of a carved pole with rounded heading that is believed to be used as a stake to anchor a net during nearshore fishing activities.