A genetic analysis of the 10th century Magyar Necropolis of Przemysil Rycerska, Poland

Abstract

The term Magyars is used to collectively identify the tribes that are thought to arrive and settle in the Carpathian basin in the 9th century AD. A recent genomic study showed that there was remarkable genetic heterogeneity among individuals in Magyar-associated archaeological contexts, despite sharing the same cultural customs. People with mixed eastern and western Eurasian ancestry coexist with non-admixed western ancestry individuals. The questions about the origin of these tribes before their arrival in the Carpathians, their precise ancestry composition and the admixture process are not yet solved. Especially nothing is known about the genetic composition of individuals buried in Magyar contexts outside of Hungary. This work analyzes 12 newly generated genomes from the Magyar-associated site of Przemysil (Poland) and argues that these individuals belong to an unadmixed, Eastern European-like population, that could have adopted Magyar customs after their arrival in the Carpathian basin.