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Updated: Sep 10, 2025

Optimized Bone Sampling Protocols for the Retrieval of Ancient DNA from Archaeological Remains
Published on: November 30, 2021
Spatiotemporal reconstruction of Corded Ware and Bell Beaker burial rituals reveals complex dynamics divergent from
Quentin P J Bourgeois1, Florian Helmecke1, Louise Olerud1
1Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 2, 2333CC Leiden, Netherlands.
Abstract:
Understanding how the dispersal of cultural innovations intersects with the spread of genes remains a central challenge in prehistoric archaeology. Here, we examine how the third millennium BCE Corded Ware (CW) and Bell Beaker (BB) burial traditions disseminated across Europe and their relation to the influx of steppe ancestry. To investigate these spatiotemporal dynamics during one of Europe's most transformative periods, we compiled a dataset of radiocarbon dates from 967 burials, applying kernel density estimation alongside optimal linear estimation. We show that the adoption of CW and BB funerary rites is not synchronized with, and often contradicts, the spread of steppe ancestry. Furthermore, we show that these burial traditions spread rapidly and polyfocally among dispersed communities before a brief yet continent-wide consolidation phase around 2600 BCE for CW and 2400 BCE for BB, suggesting broad, simultaneous societal changes among preliterate societies.
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