Transeurasian Connections in the Early Middle Ages: Insights from Ancient DNA Research

Long-distance mobility across the Eurasian steppe fundamentally reshaped the demographic and political landscapes of Europe during the Early Middle Ages. The Carpathian Basin, situated at the western terminus of the steppe corridors, became the center of two non-consecutive polities with ties to the steppe: the short-lived Hun confederation in the 5th century and the 250-year-long Avar Khaganate in the late 6th to 9th centuries. In the framework of the HistoGenes project, we have investigated these trans-Eurasian connections through the integration of archaeology, history, and ancient genomics. This presentation will focus on archaeogenomic evidence discussed within its historical and archaeological context.

Genetic evidence reveals that the Hun-period population was highly heterogeneous. Most individuals carried West Eurasian ancestry, while only a small minority (~5%) displayed Central or East Asian genetic profiles. Yet these rare eastern-associated burials provide striking signals of long-distance connectivity: some individuals can be directly linked through shared genomic segments to elite lineages of the Xiongnu Empire in Mongolia.

The Avar case presents a different pattern. Following their arrival in the late 6th century, groups with different Eurasian Steppe descent ancestries established enduring communities that retained their structure for over two centuries. Ancient genomic analyses reveal structured societies practicing patrilocality, female exogamy, and levirate unions, while strictly avoiding close-kin marriage. Remarkably, neighboring cemeteries sharing the same material culture maintained sharp genetic boundaries through selective marriage networks, indicating that ancestry and lineage remained socially meaningful long after migration.

Together, these cases highlight two different histories of steppe mobility, but both demonstrate that Early Medieval Europe was embedded in sustained trans-Eurasian connections.