The research team from the Institute for Mummy Studies at Eurac Research, in collaboration with the University of Trento and Uppsala University, analyzed the genomes of 47 prehistoric individuals from 17 archaeological sites in Trentino-Alto Adige, located in the eastern Italian Alps. The study, published in the scientific journal Nature Communications, fills an important gap in the genetic history of prehistoric individuals from this strategic geographical area – a cultural bridge between Mediterranean populations and those of the northern Alps, and the site where the Copper Age individual (5,400–5,100 years ago) known as the Iceman or Ötzi was discovered.

With the PrehistoricAlps project, funded by the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, the research team, led by population geneticist Valentina Coia and in collaboration with local stakeholders and the superintendencies of the Autonomous Provinces of Bolzano and Trento, collected osteological remains and analyzed them from an anthropological and paleogenetic perspective in the specialized laboratories of Eurac Research. Through bioinformatics and statistical analyses, the genomic data obtained were compared with those already available in the literature, covering more than 1,300 ancient individuals and a thousand present-day individuals from western Eurasia.

The aim of the study was to analyze changes over time in the genomic structure of alpine groups from the Mesolithic (approximately 8,000 years ago) to the Middle Bronze Age (approximately 3,500 years ago) – as well as to assess the genetic impact of major migrations that took place in western Eurasia. Another key objective was to compare previously obtained genetic results from the Iceman with those from newly studied alpine individuals, to better contextualize this important discovery.

The study revealed that the Late Mesolithic male individual – the oldest analyzed in this study – who practiced hunting and gathering, showed a high percentage (~84%) of genetic ancestry from western hunter-gatherers, along with a (~16%) contribution from eastern hunter-gatherers from Russia. This indicates a mixing event between these two hunter-gatherer groups that occurred within an estimated timeframe of 15,700 to 10,300 years ago. The Mesolithic Alpine sample analyzed in this project is particularly valuable, as it is one of the rare Late Mesolithic individuals from Italy and southern Europe to have undergone genomic analysis, apart from a few individuals from Sicily.

By contrast, individuals from the Middle Neolithic (approximately 6,600–6,300 years ago), who practiced agriculture, exhibited a high percentage (around 87%) of genetic ancestry from the first Anatolian farmers, with only a limited genetic contribution from Mesolithic hunter-gatherer groups. Furthermore, as Valentina Coia explains, “the study suggests that admixture events between migrating farmers and hunter-gatherers occurred both along the migration route taken by the farmers before reaching the Alps and at a local level.” The study’s findings also indicate that, despite contact with distant cultures, genetic exchanges between prehistoric alpine groups and other populations remained limited for a long time – likely due to the relative isolation of alpine communities compared to other European regions. The study thus reveals a genetic continuity from the Middle Neolithic to the Middle Bronze Age.

Additionally, the results demonstrate that, at a genomic level, the Iceman closely resembles not only other Copper Age Alpine individuals analyzed but also those from different periods. However, both his paternal lineage – the Y chromosome, inherited from the father – and his maternal lineage – the mitochondrial DNA, inherited from the mother – have not been found in any other analyzed alpine individual, leaving open questions about his origins and cultural affiliation.

The study also contributes to the understanding of another major phenomenon that influenced the genetic background of Europeans: the migration of pastoralist groups from the Eurasian steppes around 5,000 years ago, which introduced the so-called “steppe” genetic component. “Our analyses show that these migrations had a very limited genetic impact on alpine groups,” explains Coia. “Nevertheless, our findings indicate that the “steppe” genetic component appeared in the eastern Alps before it was detected in other areas of northern Italy, adding an important piece to the puzzle in understanding this complex phenomenon in southern Europe.”

The research team also uncovered close biological relationships (parent-child, sibling, or cousin connections) between individuals buried at the same archaeological site. For example, two individual stone-lined burials found at the Neolithic necropolis of La Vela in Trentino contained an adolescent male and a young girl, who were identified as brother and sister.

Further information can be found at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-61601-8

Photo and video material can be downloaded at the following link (captions are provided in a separate file): https://show.pics.io/prehistoricalps_press