More than one millennium (2nd-16th century CE) of the White Plague in the Carpathian Basin - New cases, expanding knowledge.

The causative agent of tuberculosis is still a widespread pathogen, which caused the death of ca. 1.6 million people globally in 2021. The paleopathological study of human remains revealed the antiquity of the disease and its continuous presence throughout the history of humankind. The Carpathian Basin has always been a biocultural melting pot, since it has seen several migrations over the centuries, and served as a location of admixture and interaction for numerous populations of different cultures. Thus, this geographical territory is ideal for the examination of the coevolutionary processes of hosts and their pathogens. We aimed to reveal the spatial and temporal distribution of tuberculosis cases excavated inside the borders of Hungary between the 2nd and 16th centuries CE. We established a comprehensive database by collecting 114 already published cases and introducing 39 new cases. The involved cases include those that have been confirmed by different molecular methods, as well as possible infections that were identified based on the presence of macromorphological and radiological alterations. The progress of future molecular and paleopathological studies can be facilitated by our dataset, as it presents spatial and temporal information concerning the spread of the disease in the Carpathian Basin, as well as the biological profile and detailed paleopathological description of lesions illustrated by photo- and radiographs.

Ancient genomes reveal origin and rapid trans-Eurasian migration of 7th century Avar elites.

The Avars settled the Carpathian Basin in 567/68 CE, establishing an empire lasting over 200 years. Who they were and where they came from is highly debated. Contemporaries have disagreed about whether they were, as they claimed, the direct successors of the Mongolian Steppe Rouran empire that was destroyed by the Turks in ∼550 CE. Here, we analyze new genome-wide data from 66 pre-Avar and Avar-period Carpathian Basin individuals, including the 8 richest Avar-period burials and further elite sites from Avar's empire core region. Our results provide support for a rapid long-distance trans-Eurasian migration of Avar-period elites. These individuals carried Northeast Asian ancestry matching the profile of preceding Mongolian Steppe populations, particularly a genome available from the Rouran period. Some of the later elite individuals carried an additional non-local ancestry component broadly matching the steppe, which could point to a later migration or reflect greater genetic diversity within the initial migrant population.

A minimally destructive protocol for DNA extraction from ancient teeth.

Ancient DNA sampling methods-although optimized for efficient DNA extraction-are destructive, relying on drilling or cutting and powdering (parts of) bones and teeth. As the field of ancient DNA has grown, so have concerns about the impact of destructive sampling of the skeletal remains from which ancient DNA is obtained. Due to a particularly high concentration of endogenous DNA, the cementum of tooth roots is often targeted for ancient DNA sampling, but destructive sampling methods of the cementum often result in the loss of at least one entire root. Here, we present a minimally destructive method for extracting ancient DNA from dental cementum present on the surface of tooth roots. This method does not require destructive drilling or grinding, and, following extraction, the tooth remains safe to handle and suitable for most morphological studies, as well as other biochemical studies, such as radiocarbon dating. We extracted and sequenced ancient DNA from 30 teeth (and nine corresponding petrous bones) using this minimally destructive extraction method in addition to a typical tooth sampling method. We find that the minimally destructive method can provide ancient DNA that is of comparable quality to extracts produced from teeth that have undergone destructive sampling processes. Further, we find that a rigorous cleaning of the tooth surface combining diluted bleach and UV light irradiation seems sufficient to minimize external contaminants usually removed through the physical removal of a superficial layer when sampling through regular powdering methods.