Aleksandra Zegarac

ALEKSANDRA ZEGARAC, then a graduate student at University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia, was awarded funding in April 2018 to aid research on “Kinship, Status and Social Inequality in the Early Bronze Age of Southeastern Europe: the Case of Mokrin Necropolis,” supervised by Dr. Biljana Stojkovic. The Early Bronze Age (EBA) is a period characterized by major social changes, when kinship ties are considered to be important in the fabric of ranked societies. Kinship study was conducted via ancient DNA analyses on 24 samples from the necropolis of Mokrin in Serbia to address the hypotheses regarding vertical and horizontal stratification of the Mokrin necropolis and to obtain information whether the wealth and status were hereditary. Nine kin relationships were identified and observed in their archeological context. While men probably had to achieve the status and the position in the socio-political hierarchy through some kind of activity or quality, women could inherit the status or they could achieve it through their links with prestigious males. However, it is noticed that children in kin relations with individuals of higher status still had more potential to achieve certain position. Genetic results were similar to previous studies, suggesting no major changes in the social organization, which is an uncommon pattern for the EBA society. The results could clarify the transition patterns of EBA and to provide better understanding of the relationship between the biological and social systems and the dynamics of cultural processes at the territory of Serbia and Europe.