Археологичид дундад зууны үеийн Лас Гобас суурингийн оршин суугчдын амьдралын хэв маяг, удамшлын онцлогийг анх удаа нарийвчлан судалжээ.
Испанийн Бургос мужийн Лас Гобас дахь хаданд ухсан сүм болон сууцнуудаас олдсон 39 хүний үлдэгдэлд Стокгольмын Палеогенетикийн төвийн судлаачид генетикийн шинжилгээ хийжээ. 6-аас 11-р зууны хооронд хамаарах энэхүү бүлэг хүмүүс олон зууны турш гаднын нөлөөнд авталгүй, дотооддоо гэрлэх замаар тусгаарлагдмал амьдарч байсныг судалгаагаар тогтоосон байна. Тухайлбал, Иберийн хойгийг Исламын шашинтнууд байлдан дагуулсан ч тус бүлгийн удамшлын бүтэц өөрчлөгдөөгүй нь илэрчээ.
Судлаачид үлдэгдлээс эртний эмгэг төрүүлэгчдийн ул мөрийг илрүүлсэн нь тухайн үеийн хүмүүсийн өдөр тутмын амьдралыг тодруулахад тусалсан байна. Тухайлбал, арьсны халдвар үүсгэдэг Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae бактери олдсон нь тухайн иргэд мал аж ахуйтай нягт холбоотой байсныг гэрчилж байгаа юм. Түүнчлэн гавлын ясан дээрх гэмтлийн ул мөр нь тэдний дунд зэвсэгт мөргөлдөөн гарч байсныг харуулж байна.
Судалгааны хамгийн онцлох үр дүн бол 10-р зууны үеийн оршуулгаас салхин цэцэг өвчний вирусийн ул мөр илэрсэн явдал юм. Энэхүү вирус нь Скандинав, Герман, Орос зэрэг бүс нутгийн омгуудтай ижил төстэй байгаа нь өвчин Исламын худалдааны замаар бус, харин Европоор дамжин тархсан байх магадлалтайг харуулж байна. Энэхүү олдвор нь дундад зууны үеийн Иберийн хойгийн хүн амын шилжилт хөдөлгөөн болон өвчний тархалтын талаарх түүхэн таамаглалыг өөрчилж байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
A new study of human remains from Las Gobas, a medieval cave community in northern Spain, is shedding new light on a little-known population that lived through centuries of upheaval on the Iberian frontier. By combining ancient DNA with archaeological and historical evidence, researchers have uncovered clues that challenge long-held assumptions about the community’s past.
Published in Science Advances, the resear ch offers an unusually detailed glimpse into the lives of people who inhabited Las Gobas between the 6th and 11th centuries. The findings reveal a story shaped by isolation, survival, and unexpected connections that only emerged after a close examination of the site’s ancient remains.
Located in present-day Burgos province near the village of Laño, Las Gobas is known for its church and dwellings carved directly into rock. Its cemetery, containing dozens of burials, has become the focus of an investigation that is uncovering secrets hidden for nearly a thousand years.
A Community That Largely Kept To Itself
The team analyzed 39 of the 41 individuals excavated from the cemetery. According to the study in Science Advances, the genetic evidence points to an endogamous population, meaning people mostly formed families within the same community over many generations. The project was led by Ricardo Rodríguez Varela of the Centre for Palaeogenetics in Stockholm. He said that:
“Our findings indicate that this community stayed relatively isolated for at least five centuries,” said Rodríguez Varela. Although Las Gobas is located just north of regions under Islamic rule, “we found relatively low levels of North African and Middle Eastern ancestry compared to other medieval individuals from the Iberian Peninsula, and we did not observe a significant increase in these ancestries after the Islamic conquest of Iberia.”
The genetic data revealed relatively low levels of North African and Middle Eastern ancestry compared with other medieval populations from the peninsula. Researchers also found no significant increase in those ancestry components after the Islamic conquest.
That result caught the researchers’ attention because many parts of medieval Iberia experienced population mixing and demographic shifts during the same period. Las Gobas appears to have followed a different path, preserving a distinct genetic profile across centuries.
Ancient Bacteria Reveal How People Lived
The study was not limited to ancestry. Researchers also searched for traces of ancient pathogens preserved in the remains, uncovering new insights into the health and daily lives of the people who inhabited the cave community.
Zoé Pochon, also from the Centre for Palaeogenetics, said that the team identified Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, a bacterium that can cause skin infections when open wounds become contaminated. The pathogen is often associated with contact with domestic animals.
For the study team, that discovery suggests that animal husbandry played an important role in the local economy and daily routines. It’s a small detail, perhaps, but one that helps flesh out the picture of life in a rural medieval settlement. The remains also showed signs of violence. Some individuals displayed injuries believed to have been caused by sword blows.
An Old Virus With a European Past
One of the study’s most striking findings was the detection of the variola virus, the pathogen responsible for smallpox, in one of the later burials from the cave site.
The researchers explained that the strain identified at Las Gobas closely resembles strains previously found in Scandinavia, Germany, and Russia. That connection suggests the disease was circulating widely across Europe during the medieval period. The finding could also change how historians view the arrival of smallpox in Iberia.
“It is amazing how much information we were able to gather on this group of people through our archaeogenetic investigation.” saidAnders Götherström, the senior author of the study. He also added that: “By the 10th century, smallpox seems to have affected Las Gobas, likely spreading through Europe rather than via Islamic routes, as was previously theorized for how smallpox entered Iberia.”
The research uncovers the lives of people who remained unusually isolated while navigating disease, violence, and the political transformations reshaping medieval Europe.
Enjoyed this article? Subscribe to our free newsletter for engaging stories, exclusive content, and the latest news.
