Abstract

Migration has been a major factor shaping human societies and genomes through time and ancient DNA research indicates that, by-and-large, the genomes of present-day Europeans comprise ancestries brought in by three major waves of migrating people: 1) anatomically modern humans _{45,000 years ago (ya); 2) Near Eastern early farmers} 8,000 ya; 3) Steppe pastoralists ~5,000 ya. However, the detailed genetic history of any given area is always much more complex, calling for more focused and local-scale studies. One such (until recently) understudied region is the East European plain. Here, I will talk about research conducted in the last five years or so, looking into the demographic history of this region. More specifically, the focus has been on Stone to Pre-Roman Iron Age Estonia, Scythian period Steppe, Stone to Bronze Age Western Russia, and most recently on later Iron Age and medieval Estonia.

Register online: https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwoc-GuqTguH9PPSRU7pRtJ74eB-hzNllor