Genetic analysis of multiple burials from the medieval churchyard from the St. Peters church of old Cölln/Berlin

Abstract

This article presents the genetic research results of selected multiple burials from one of the oldest medieval cemeteries in Berlin. Extensive excavations since 2007 have uncovered 3,121 graves containing 3,778 individuals at the former St. Peters churchyard in the city centre of the German capital Berlin. The use of the area as a cemetery started around 1150 and ended in 1717. The parish belonged to the medieval city of Cölln one of the two founding cores of Berlin. Among the found graves was a noticeably high amount (12%) of multiple burials. Eight selected grave complexes, which contained in total 17 individuals, were chosen that indicated some kind of relationship based on the arrangement of the bodies. Our main focus was to investigate the role of biological kinship in these medieval burial customs. Additionally we provide data about the genetic ancestry of all individuals as well as phenotyping predictions.