Kristian Kristiansen

University of Gothenburg | GU · Department of Historical Studies

This paper presents The Missing link project financed by Swedish Research Council, which will be running between 2021 and 2025. The aim of the project is to investigate the role of Sardinia in the metal trade between Scandinavia, Atlantic Europe, and the Mediterranean during the Bronze Age. Growing evidence for metals of Sardinian origin in artefac...

This Element was written to meet the theoretical and methodological challenge raised by the third science revolution and its implications for how to study and interpret European prehistory. The first section is therefore devoted to a historical and theoretical discussion of how to practice interdisciplinarity in this new age, and following from tha...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a modern neuro-inflammatory and -degenerative disease, which is most prevalent in Northern Europe. Whilst it is known that inherited risk to MS is located within or within close proximity to immune genes it is unknown when, where and how this genetic risk originated. By using the largest ancient genome dataset from the St...

The Eurasian Holocene (beginning c. 12 thousand years ago) encompassed some of the most significant changes in human evolution, with far-reaching consequences for the dietary, physical and mental health of present-day populations. Using an imputed dataset of >1600 complete ancient genome sequences, and new computational methods for locating selecti...

We plan to synthesize an understanding of the broad regional economies of Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe. This synthesis will consider variation in the economies along three dimensions: variation in the subsistence economies reflecting local conditions of resource availability, technologies, and population densities; variation in exchange reflectin...

Trade before Civilization explores the role that long-distance exchange played in the establishment and/or maintenance of social complexity, and its role in the transformation of societies from egalitarian to non-egalitarian. Bringing together research by an international and methodologically diverse team of scholars, it analyses the relationship b...

The Spanish region of Almería is well known for its rich geological records and its richness in archaeological remains. Sr isotopes have been applied in archaeology as a powerful tracing tool for individual human and animal mobility, but their application requires extensive regional baselines as reference against which the target materials can be c...

Trade before Civilization explores the role that long-distance exchange played in the establishment and/or maintenance of social complexity, and its role in the transformation of societies from egalitarian to non-egalitarian. Bringing together research by an international and methodologically diverse team of scholars, it analyses the relationship b...

The transitions from foraging to farming and later to pastoralism in Stone Age Eurasia (c. 11-3 thousand years before present, BP) represent some of the most dramatic lifestyle changes in human evolution. We sequenced 317 genomes of primarily Mesolithic and Neolithic individuals from across Eurasia combined with radiocarbon dates, stable isotope da...

The evidence of prehistoric long-distance exchange networks in northern Italy is overwhelming, attested by several finds of non-local raw materials in Bronze Age pile-dwelling settlements of Lake Garda and eastern Po plain, like amber beads and bronze artefacts. Metals are dispersed throughout Bronze Age Europe from mining communities within the Al...

Domestication of horses fundamentally transformed long-range mobility and warfare¹. However, modern domesticated breeds do not descend from the earliest domestic horse lineage associated with archaeological evidence of bridling, milking and corralling2–4 at Botai, Central Asia around 3500 bc³. Other longstanding candidate regions for horse domestic...

Background: During the early 3rd millennium BCE migration from Pontic Steppe, mainly related to Yamnaya culture, has affected European populations both culturally and genetically, however, it has long been debated to what extent this migration was male-driven, and how this replacement process took place which eliminated partially/largely Neolithic...

In this paper I demonstrate some major changes within the traditional disciplinary boundaries of archaeology during the last 25-30 years, and the subsequent formation of new frontiers of theory and practice. They are the result of the expansion and diversification of the discipline in modern society. In that process archaeology has lost its former...

Sr isotopes are a powerful tool used to reconstruct human mobility in archaeology. This requires extensive bioavailable ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr baselines used as reference for deciphering potential areas of origin. We define the first extensive bioavailable Sr isotope baselines for the different geographical regions and surface lithologies of Greece by combining...

The Bronze Age of Sweden's southernmost region, Scania, is complex and intriguing. One could say that Scania represented in many ways a gateway for people, ideas and material culture connecting continental Europe with Sweden. Shedding light on the dynamics of human mobility in this region requires an in depth understanding of the local archaeologic...

Background During the early 3rd millennium BCE migration from Pontic Steppe, mainly related to Yamnaya culture, has affected European populations both culturally and genetically, however, it has long been debated to what extent this migration was male-driven, and how this replacement process took place which eliminated partially/largely Neolithic m...

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03328-2.

Sr isotopes are a powerful tool used for provenancing in many disciplines, but their successful application requires the availability of robust Sr baselines of potential target areas. This study presents ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr signatures and Sr concentrations of water, plants and soil leachates from the Peloponnese peninsula, Greece, to establish the first comp...

The Gjerrild burial provides the largest and best-preserved assemblage of human skeletal material presently known from the Single Grave Culture (SGC) in Denmark. For generations it has been debated among archaeologists if the appearance of this archaeological complex represents a continuation of the previous Neolithic communities, or was facilitate...

We present a high-resolution cross-disciplinary analysis of kinship structure and social institutions in two Late Copper Age Bell Beaker culture cemeteries of South Germany containing 24 and 18 burials, of which 34 provided genetic information. By combining archaeological, anthropological, genetic and isotopic evidence we are able to document the i...

The maritime expansion of Scandinavian populations during the Viking Age (about ad 750–1050) was a far-flung transformation in world history1,2. Here we sequenced the genomes of 442 humans from archaeological sites across Europe and Greenland (to a median depth of about 1×) to understand the global influence of this expansion. We find the Viking pe...

Lotte Reedz Sparrevohn, Ole Thirup Kastholm & Poul Otto Nielsen (ed.). 2019. Houses for the living: two-aisled houses from the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age in Denmark (volumes I–II). Copenhagen: The Royal Society of Northern Antiquities, University of Southern Denmark, 978-408-3259-4 hardback 398 DKK. - Volume 94 Issue 376 - Kristian Kristiansen

Re-theorising mobility and the formation of culture and language among the Corded Ware Culture in Europe—CORRIGENDUM - Volume 94 Issue 375 - Kristian Kristiansen, Morten E. Allentoft, Karin M. Frei, Rune Iversen, Niels N. Johannsen, Guus Kroonen, Łukasz Pospieszny, T. Douglas Price, Simon Rasmussen, Karl-Göran Sjögren, Martin Sikora, Eske Willersle...

Catherine M. Cameron. Captives: How Stolen People Changed the World (Lincoln & London: University of Nebraska Press, 2016, 213pp., 10 illustr., ISBN 978-0-8032-9399-1) - Volume 23 Issue 2 - Kristian Kristiansen

The European continent was subject to two major migrations of peoples during the Holocene: the northwestward movement of Anatolian farmer populations during the Neolithic and the westward movement of Yamnaya steppe peoples during the Bronze Age. These movements changed the genetic composition of the continent’s inhabitants. The Holocene was also ch...

We present a high-resolution cross-disciplinary analysis of kinship structure and social institutions in two Late Copper Age Bell Beaker culture cemeteries of South Germany containing 24 and 18 burials, of which 34 provided genetic information. By combining archaeological, anthropological, genetic and isotopic evidence we are able to document the i...

This issue (4/2019) of IBC dossier (ISSN 1125-9876) fully covers the CHEurope project - MSCA ITN focuses on developing a new theoretical and methodological framework for critical cultural heritage studies and their application for training in heritage management and the development of the cultural industries in Europe.

Questo numero (4/2019) del Dossier IBC (ISSN 1125-9876) copre interamente il progetto CHEurope - MSCA ITN ed è incentrato sullo sviluppo di un nuovo quadro teorico e metodologico per gli studi sui beni culturali critici e sulla loro applicazione per la formazione nella gestione del patrimonio e lo sviluppo delle industrie culturali in Europa. Vers...

The Textile Revolution in Bronze Age Europe - edited by Serena Sabatini November 2019

In this study, a strontium isotope baseline for Cyprus is presented. The aim of the study was two-fold; first to provide an environmental multi-proxy-based baseline (water/plants/soil leachates) suitable for archaeological provenance and mobility studies, food source authentication, and forensic investigations; and second, to contribute to the deba...

The European continent was subject to two major migrations of peoples during the Holocene: the northwestward movement of Anatolian farmer populations during the Neolithic and the westward movement of Yamnaya steppe peoples during the Bronze Age. These movements changed the genetic composition of the continent's inhabitants, via admixture and popula...

We present results of the largest multidisciplinary human mobility investigation to date of skeletal remains from present-day Denmark encompassing the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. Through a multi-analytical approach based on 88 individuals from 37 different archaeological localities in which we combine strontium isotope and radiocarbon analyses togeth...

European Bronze Age swords had high functional and symbolic value, and therefore they are an interesting case for approaching questions of provenance and trade in Bronze Age Europe. It is often assumed that there is a strong affinity between metal supplies and artefact type. However, this study demonstrates that metal supply and sword types are mos...

The Viking maritime expansion from Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, and Sweden) marks one of the swiftest and most far-flung cultural transformations in global history. During this time (c. 750 to 1050 CE), the Vikings reached most of western Eurasia, Greenland, and North America, and left a cultural legacy that persists till today. To understand the...

Arponen et al. ’s paper is a timely discussion paper which raises basic issues about the relationship between environmental science and archaeology, and thus about the relationship between science and archaeology more broadly. My comments will therefore begin with a discussion of the nature of interdisciplinary research, as a background for re-eval...

Northeastern Siberia has been inhabited by humans for more than 40,000 years but its deep population history remains poorly understood. Here we investigate the late Pleistocene population history of northeastern Siberia through analyses of 34 newly recovered ancient genomes that date to between 31,000 and 600 years ago. We document complex populati...

Radiocarbon dating is paramount forchronologically definingtheriseofpolitiesin the Middle Bronze Age CarpathianBasin. This article presents a suite of newradiocarbon dates obtained from sites asso-ciated with the Early and Middle BronzeAge Maros Group, and its Late Bronze Agesuccessors in the Tisza-Maros region ofsouth-east Hungary, western Romania...

Horse domestication revolutionized warfare and accelerated travel, trade, and the geographic expansion of languages. Here, we present the largest DNA time series for a non-human organism to date, including genome-scale data from 149 ancient animals and 129 ancient genomes (≥1-fold coverage), 87 of which are new. This extensive dataset allows us to...

The third millennium BCE was a period of major cultural and demographic changes in Europe that signaled the beginning of the Bronze Age. People from the Pontic steppe expanded westward, leading to the formation of the Corded Ware complex and transforming the genetic landscape of Europe. At the time, the Globular Amphora culture (3300–2700 BCE) exis...

Paradigm Found brings together papers by renowned researchers from across Europe, Asia and America to discuss a selection of pressing issues in current archaeological theory and method. The book also reviews the effects and potential of various theoretical stances in the context of prehistoric archaeology. The papers provide a discussion of the i...

Between 5,000 and 6,000 years ago, many Neolithic societies declined throughout western Eurasia due to a combination of factors that are still largely debated. Here, we report the discovery and genome reconstruction of Yersinia pestis, the etiological agent of plague, in Neolithic farmers in Sweden, pre-dating and basal to all modern and ancient kn...

with In this Article, Angela M. Taravella and Melissa A. Wilson Sayres have been added to the author list (associated with: School of Life Sciences, Center for Evolution and Medicine, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA). The author list and Author Information section have been corrected online.

Far northeastern Siberia has been occupied by humans for more than 40 thousand years. Yet, owing to a scarcity of early archaeological sites and human remains, its population history and relationship to ancient and modern populations across Eurasia and the Americas are poorly understood. Here, we report 34 ancient genome sequences, including two fr...

In Fig. 2 of this Letter, the 'E' and 'G' clade labels were inadvertently reversed, and in Table 2 the genotype of DA27 was 'D1' instead of 'D5'. These have been corrected online.

As exemplified by Viking and Bronze Age societies in northern Europe, we model the political dynamics of raiding, trading, and slaving as a maritime mode of production. It includes political strategies to control trade by owning boats and financing excursions, thus permitting chiefs to channel wealth flows and establish decentralized, expansive pol...

Bronze is the defining metal of the European Bronze Age and has been at the center of archaeological and science-based research for well over a century. Archaeo-metallurgical studies have largely focused on determining the geological origin of the constituent metals, copper and tin, and their movement from producer to consumer sites. More recently,...

Significance The majority of viral genomic sequences available today are fewer than 50 years old. Parvovirus B19 (B19V) is a ubiquitous human pathogen causing fifth disease in children, as well as other conditions. By isolating B19V DNA from human remains between ∼0.5 and 6.9 thousand years old, we show that B19V has been associated with humans for...

Bronze is the defining metal of the European Bronze Age and has been at the center of archaeological and science-based research for well over a century. Archaeometallurgical studies have largely focused on determining the geological origin of the constituent metals, copper and tin, and their movement from producer to consumer sites. More recently,...

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major cause of human hepatitis. There is considerable uncertainty about the timescale of its evolution and its association with humans. Here we present 12 full or partial ancient HBV genomes that are between approximately 0.8 and 4.5 thousand years old. The ancient sequences group either within or in a sister relationsh...

Ancient steppes for human equestrians The Eurasian steppes reach from the Ukraine in Europe to Mongolia and China. Over the past 5000 years, these flat grasslands were thought to be the route for the ebb and flow of migrant humans, their horses, and their languages. de Barros Damgaard et al. probed whole-genome sequences from the remains of 74 indi...

For thousands of years the Eurasian steppes have been a centre of human migrations and cultural change. Here we sequence the genomes of 137 ancient humans (about 1× average coverage), covering a period of 4,000 years, to understand the population history of the Eurasian steppes after the Bronze Age migrations. We find that the genetics of the Scyth...

Warfare in Bronze Age Society takes a fresh look at warfare and its role in reshaping Bronze Age society. The Bronze Age represents the global emergence of a militarized society with a martial culture, materialized in a package of new efficient weapons that remained in use for millennia to come. Warfare became institutionalized and professionalized...

Warfare in Bronze Age Society takes a fresh look at warfare and its role in reshaping Bronze Age society. The Bronze Age represents the global emergence of a militarized society with a martial culture, materialized in a package of new efficient weapons that remained in use for millennia to come. Warfare became institutionalized and professionalized...

Warfare in Bronze Age Society takes a fresh look at warfare and its role in reshaping Bronze Age society. The Bronze Age represents the global emergence of a militarized society with a martial culture, materialized in a package of new efficient weapons that remained in use for millennia to come. Warfare became institutionalized and professionalized...

Warfare in Bronze Age Society takes a fresh look at warfare and its role in reshaping Bronze Age society. The Bronze Age represents the global emergence of a militarized society with a martial culture, materialized in a package of new efficient weapons that remained in use for millennia to come. Warfare became institutionalized and professionalized...

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/nature25738.