1 INTERDISCIPLINARIA ARCHAEOLOGICA NATURAL SCIENCES IN ARCHAEOLOGY homepage: http://www.iansa.eu Comprehensive Site Chronology and Ancient Mitochondrial DNA Analysis from Verteba Cave -a Trypillian Culture Site of Eneolithic Ukraine Alexey G. Nikitin a* , Mykhailo P. Sokhatsky b , Mykola M. Kovaliukh c , Mykhailo Y. Videiko d a Biology Department, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI 49401, USA b Borschiv Regional Museum, Ministry of Culture and Arts of Ukraine, Shevchenka St. 9, Borschiv, Ukraine c Institute of Environmental Radiogeochemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Palladin Av. 34a, Kyiv, Ukraine d Institute of Archeology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Geroiv Stalingrada St. 12, Kyiv, Ukraine 1. Introduction Farming in Europe spread from western Anatolia after 7000 BC (Bellwood 2005). The European Neolithic initially developed in Greece, from where it expanded northward into the Balkans, and westward along the Mediterranean coast (Bellwood 2005). After 6000 BC Neolithic cultures of the 'DQXEH EDVLQ VXFK DV 6WDUþHYR.|U|V.ULú DQG WKH /LQHDU Pottery culture (Linearbandkeramik or LBK) began to appear east of the Carpathian Mountains (Kotova 2003). On the foundations laid by these and other Neolithic groups a new archaeological culture began to form in the pre-Carpathian region around 5400 BC. This culture became known as Precucuteni, and later as Cucuteni in Romania and Moldova, and Trypillia A (formally spelled “Trypolie” or “Tripolye”) followed by Trypillia B and C, in Ukraine. The Trypillian cultural complex (TC) existed from 5400 to 2700 BC on a vast area extending from the Carpathian piedmont, east to the Dnipro River, and south to the shores of the Black Sea (Videiko 2004). As an archaeological culture TC was discovered in 1896 by V. Khvoika near the village Trypillia, Ukraine (Khvoika 1901). TC is characterised by advanced agriculture, developed metallurgy, pottery-making, sophisticated architecture and social organisation, including WKH ｿUVW SURWRFLWLHV RQ (XURSHDQ VRLO 9LGHLNR 7& occupies a prominent place in Eastern European archaeology but still remains largely unknown to the Western science. 7KH QHZ 7& FKURQRORJ\ LGHQWLｿHV WKH IROORZLQJ EUDFNHWV for each TC phase: AII-III-3 from 5400-4300 BC, BI from 4300-4100 BC, BII from 4100-3600 BC, CI from 3600-3200 BC, and CII from 3400-2750 BC (Videiko 2004). More than 40 local archaeological groups are recognized within the TC FRPSOH[ ZLWK UHJLRQ DQG JURXSVSHFLｿF YDULDWLRQV LQ WKH VW\OHV RI SRWWHU\ DQG SODVWLFV LQ PDQ\ FDVHV LQﾀXHQFHG E\ contemporaneous neighbouring cultures (Videiko 2004). At the material culture level TC is known for a variety of painted pottery as well as anthropomorphic and zoomorphic FOD\ ｿJXULQHV &KLOGH .DQG\ED =EHQRYLFK Videiko 2004). While the material culture of TC has been well studied and documented, human remains are scarce. In fact, they are virtually non-existent until the CII phase, when burials of TC begin to appear on a regular basis (Dergatschov 1991, Dergatschov, Manzura 1991). This creates a gap in our understanding of the biological origins of TC and in their cultural traditions, such as rituals for the dead. 9ROXPH , Ɣ ,VVXH ｱ Ɣ 3DJHV ｱ * Corresponding author. E-mail: nikitin@gvsu.edu ABSTRACT This manuscript presents a study of a ritual site of the Trypillian culture complex (TC) in western Ukraine where material artefacts are found side-by-side with human and animal remains. The organic content in pottery sherds made it possible to carbon date the ceramics found with bone remains, thus allowing a reference point for carbon dating bone collagen. This allowed us to develop a comprehensive chronology of the usage of the cave. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) extracted from human remains shed additional light on the history of the site’s occupation by early agrarians on the territory of Ukraine. ARTICLE INFO Article history: Received 23 November 2010 Accepted 20 January 2011 Keywords: Trypillian culture complex (TC) Eneolithic Ukraine radiocarbon dating mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)