Békásmegyer Begleitkeramik Beakers (I2364) and (I2365)

These next two Begleitkeramikers were excavated by Rózsa Kalicz-Schreiber, [page 2 in German] who defined the "Csepel Group" in 1973.  If you're interested in the anthropological background of Békásmegyer, Budakalasz is essentially several bars down [Link] and where in the world is Csepel Island? [Link], also two weird guys from Szigetszentmiklós  [Link] and how one of those might be directly 1/2 from these guys [Link].

Today, two more Beaker profiles from  "The Beaker Phenomenon and the Genomic Transformation of Northwest Europe" by Olalde et al, 2017.

The first individual of the double burial (I2364) had uni-parental markers H2 + U5a2b and a single grave burial tested individual (I2365) is R1b1a1a2a1a2b1 + V3 (R1b is specifically U152 > L2).  The first subject has little very little steppe-related ancestry in Table S1 of Olalde, but the second individual's personal paternity is located within the orbit of where his subclade has its greatest diversity and frequency (Eastern Group), which in archaeological terms probably also reflects the immediate origin of his paternal ancestry within Central Europe.  (see R. Rocca comments on L2 in the Po Valley)

With that are these contexts, the fact that the I2364 double burial lacked grave goods and both individuals were placed on their right sides.  On the other hand, I2365 was buried in a more diagnostic setting for the Beaker culture, has a more familiar ratio of steppe ancestry, but also culturally synthesizes local elements that define the Csepel Group.

"Old and New Narratives for Hungary around 2200 BC" Pusztainé Fischl et al, 2015 7th Archaeological Conference of Central Germany 

In the table below, notice the middle column of the Danube river region where Beaker is concentrated.  Before examining the most recently discovered Beaker individuals at Szigetszentmiklós, Kitti Köhler noted in 2011 that previous to this the stereotypical short-headed Beaker 'ethnic' had only been observed in subsequent or peripheral cultures, Kisapostag and Gata-Wieselburg.  Previously studied Beaker cemeteries showed a great deal of heterogeneity in cranial measurements, especially between the sexes (translation from Hungarian is a bit garbled).  With that, note that the only Gata individual tested to date is tested to R1b (Szecsenyi-Nagy, 2015)  Also in that study was one Vučedol period individual from Lánycsók in Southern Hungary as R1b which was directly dated to around 2800-2600. 

Fig 1b "

"overview of Late Copper Age, Early and Middle Bronze Age chronology, and cultures/groups in Hungary."
"Old and New Narratives for Hungary around 2200 BC" Pusztainé Fischl et al, 2015 7th Archaeological Conference of Central Germany 

Based on the recent Mesolithic study on Romania and the origin of the Cernavodă culture, it is a safe bet that within the period including Kostolac, Vucedol and Yamnaya Cultures of this region, there is already heavy paternal influence from the Western Black Sea as reflected in cultural trends, but it's also important to point out that the male ancestry of I2365 probably came from the West!

The degree of heterogeneity in this area (including I2364 and I2365) demonstrate that apparent influences from Somogyvár–Vinkovci/proto-Nagyrév are genetically and culturally associated with the spread of the accompanying ware which attenuates going west.  It would seem the association of Begleitkeramik with Central European Beakerfolk is one solution to the comparative reduction of steppe-related ancestry, or at least to a more mixed nature of the Eastern Group compared to those in the West and the Northwest (excluding Iberia).  So the social organization of the East Group must have been much more cosmopolitan than those of the Northwest Atlantic, the latter being in a genetic sense, more insulated in its late phase.

"Old and New Narratives for Hungary around 2200 BC" 

Pusztainé Fischl et al, 2015 7th Archaeological Conference of Central Germany
  

It's tempting to draw straight lines between points, but if it was that simple then all of this would have been figured out long ago.  There is a very complicate mess of interacting cultures in this area and to be honest, I understand less than 1% of it.

In the next posts, I'd like to move back to the Alpine area and Spain.

Fig S1 (a) from Olalde et al, 2017

Budapest-Békásmegyer, Királyok útja (former Vöröshadsereg útja) (Hungary)
Contact person: Anna Endrődi, Gabriella Kulcsár

"The site is situated in northern part of Budapest, on the western bank of the Danube
River. Rózsa Kalicz-Schreiber uncovered 154 burials of the cemetery between 1960 and
1983, at Budapest, Békásmegyer–Királyok útja. The cemetery, according to her
estimates, had originally contained between 200-300 hundred graves. Inurned burials
dominated in the investigated cemetery section covering an area of 7700 m2. The
inhumation burials of the Békásmegyer cemetery contained jugs of the southern type
rather than the Bell Beakers type. No more than four of the 30 inhumation graves
yielded genuine Bell Beakers, while five contained various elements of the Beaker
package such as stone wrist-guards, stone arrow-heads and bone buttons with V-shaped
perforation. Jugs of the southern, Somogyvár–Vinkovci/proto-Nagyrév type were
deposited in 15 inhumation burials; nine inhumation graves did not contain any grave
goods. Eighteen of the 28 scattered cremation burials contained genuine Bell Beakers,
while three yielded locally made copies or bowls with a stamped rim. New radiocarbon
dates were generated for three burials of the Budapest–Békásmegyer cemetery. The
individuals taken from inhumation burials yielded 1752 roughly similar dates for the
cemetery section: 3845±36 BP (Grave 193; DeA-2875), 3831±35 BP (Grave 432a;
DeA-2876), 3874±33 BP (Grave 445; DeA-2877). A Bayesian analysis of the three
AMS dates from the cemetery dates its use to approximately 2410–2220 calBCE"

"Grave 219/B (I2364, GEN 10a): Double burial excavated in 1966. Two individuals
were lying on their right side in contracted position, without grave goods. Individual B
is an adult male. The radiocarbon date for this individual is:
I2364/GEN_10a, Grave 219/B: 2470–2060 calBCE [2295–2060 calBCE (3779±28
BP, DeA-6749); 2470–2285 calBCE (3883±29 BP, DeA-7216)]"  [H2 - U5a2b]

"Grave 452 (I2365, GEN 11a): Burial of an adult male lying of his left side, in contracted
position, excavated in 1982. The skeleton was incomplete, and oriented north-northwest
to south-southeast, with hyper-flexed legs. Pottery grave goods (a Bell Beaker, an urn, a
bowl, and a jug) were situated beside the lower leg, at the southern part of the grave pit.
Other grave goods include an arrowhead, and two stone tools.
I2365/GEN_11a/Grave452: 2465-2205 calBCE [2465-2205 calBCE (3858±32 BP,
1767 DeA-6762); 2465-2213 calBCE (3858±32 BP, DeA-7220)]"

"Funerary Rituals Social Relations and Diffusion of Bell Beaker Csepel-Group" from Current researches on Bell Beakers Proceedings of the 15th International Bell Beaker Conference: From Atlantic to Ural.5th 9th May 2011 Poio Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain [Link]