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Archaeology, genetics and a population bottleneck in prehistoric Finland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 January 2015

Tarja Sundell
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, History, Culture and Art Studies, University of Helsinki, PO Box 59, 00014 Helsinki, Finland (Email: tarja.sundell@helsinki.fi) Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, PO Box 56, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
Juhana Kammonen
Affiliation:
Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki, PO Box 56, 00014 Helsinki, Finland (Email: juhana.kammonen@helsinki.fi)
Petri Halinen
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, History, Culture and Art Studies, University of Helsinki, PO Box 59, 00014 Helsinki, Finland (Email: tarja.sundell@helsinki.fi)
Petro Pesonen
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, History, Culture and Art Studies, University of Helsinki, PO Box 59, 00014 Helsinki, Finland (Email: tarja.sundell@helsinki.fi) Archaeological Field Services, National Board of Antiquities, PO Box 913, 00101 Helsinki, Finland
Päivi Onkamo
Affiliation:
Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, PO Box 56, 00014 Helsinki, Finland

Abstract

The long-term history of prehistoric populations is a challenging but important subject that can now be addressed through combined use of archaeological and genetic evidence. In this study a multidisciplinary team uses these approaches to document the existence of a major population bottleneck in Finland during the Late Neolithic period, the effects of which are still detectable in the genetic profile of the Finnish population today. The postglacial recolonisation of Finland was tracked through space and time using radiocarbon dates and stone artefact distributions to provide a robust framework of evidence against which the genetic simulations could be compared.

Type
Research
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 2014

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