Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ZEPHYRUS (Extinction, replacement and trade: Tracking 100,000 years of horse evolution in Iberia)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2022-09-01 al 2024-08-31
The horse, one of the last large herbivores to be domesticated ~5,500 years ago, had a deep impact on human history. Over the last decade, the supervisor and the host institute have developed leading research to reconstruct the history of horse domestication. Their methodology embraces the latest techniques at the forefront of molecular genetics and leverages the complete genetic information present in ancient horse remains to catch evolution red-handed, map population affinities in the past, and identify selection signatures around genes of interest for past breeders. Their work are transforming our understanding of horse domestication, and is accompanied by multiple scientific publications in high-profile journals (eg, Science, Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Current Biology).
The project ZEPHYRUS focuses on Iberia (Figure 1), one of the few remaining places on Earth concentrating many knowledge gaps on horse evolution and domestication. While previous genomic work at the host institute was limited to only N=15 Iberian samples, it revealed the presence of a now extinct and extremely divergent lineage by the mid-Holocene (this lineage was nicknamed ‘IBE’). The evolutionary origin of this lineage, its legacy into the modern world, and the conditions accompanying its demise remained unknown. The ZEPHYRUS project investigates the evolutive history of the Iberian horses from the IBE lineage as well as the interactions with other cultures who brought domestic horses into Iberia (from a DOM2 genetic background, native from the southwestern Russian steppes), reshaping the genomic composition of the Iberian populations through the time.
Combining data from Humanities and Biosciences (archaeological and archaeozoological data with biological and genomic information from ancient specimens) this project addresses the following objectives: 1) To track the ghost Iberian lineage (IBE) and genetically characterize the diversity of Upper Palaeolithic Iberian horses; 2) To assess the genetic contribution of native Iberian horses to domestication and refine IBE extinction data; 3) To identify and quantify the contribution of Iberian horses to the genetic makeup of Roman horses; 4) To quantify the impact of the Muslim expansion on the genetic makeup of Iberian horses; 5) To test genetically the survival of the zebro until medieval times and its taxonomical association.
The project ZEPHYRUS focuses on Iberia (Figure 1), one of the few remaining places on Earth concentrating many knowledge gaps on horse evolution and domestication. While previous genomic work at the host institute was limited to only N=15 Iberian samples, it revealed the presence of a now extinct and extremely divergent lineage by the mid-Holocene (this lineage was nicknamed ‘IBE’). The evolutionary origin of this lineage, its legacy into the modern world, and the conditions accompanying its demise remained unknown. The ZEPHYRUS project investigates the evolutive history of the Iberian horses from the IBE lineage as well as the interactions with other cultures who brought domestic horses into Iberia (from a DOM2 genetic background, native from the southwestern Russian steppes), reshaping the genomic composition of the Iberian populations through the time.
Combining data from Humanities and Biosciences (archaeological and archaeozoological data with biological and genomic information from ancient specimens) this project addresses the following objectives: 1) To track the ghost Iberian lineage (IBE) and genetically characterize the diversity of Upper Palaeolithic Iberian horses; 2) To assess the genetic contribution of native Iberian horses to domestication and refine IBE extinction data; 3) To identify and quantify the contribution of Iberian horses to the genetic makeup of Roman horses; 4) To quantify the impact of the Muslim expansion on the genetic makeup of Iberian horses; 5) To test genetically the survival of the zebro until medieval times and its taxonomical association.
ZEPHYRUS has closely worked with a wide network of collaborators from Spain and Portugal. As a result, more than 350 equid samples from at least 59 archaeological sites distributed across the Iberian Peninsula have been analyzed (Figure 2). These samples cover a chronology spanning the last ~120,000 years, from the Late Pleistocene to the Modern Period. Additionally, to clarify the impact that Iberian horses have had in the Mediterranean populations during different cultural periods, ZEPHYRUS set out to analyse a complementary set of 23 samples from the site of Lixus (Morocco), dated between the Iron Age and Late Antiquity, and from the battle site of Himera (Sicily), which involved both Iberian soldiers and their horses in 480 BCE.
Since ancient DNA extraction is minimally destructive, all anatomically complete samples were scanned using the Artec Micro 3D scanner prior to DNA extraction. This generated a mid-resolution tridimensional of the various elements investigating, thereby preserving their integrity for future morphological and biometric studies (Figure 3). Ancient DNA was extracted in the state-of-the-art ancient DNA lab facilities at the host institute using methods running in routine and optimized for ultrashort DNA templates recovery.
Among the main results obtained by ZEPHYRUS (Figure 4), we can highlight: 1) The presence of the IBE lineage in Iberia before and after the Last Glacial Maximum, 2) domestic horses of the DOM2 lineage entered Iberia before the Iron Age, 3) local breeders restocked their domestic herds with IBE wild horses until the lineage became extinct, 4) Iberian domestic DOM2 bloodlines have had a significant influence across Europe and North Africa during the Iron Age and Antiquity and 5) the generation and analysis of the first nuclear genome from a specimen morphologically identified as Equus hydruntinus.
The ZEPHYRUS project has been presented at several forums related to the project's scope in order to raise awareness of its aims and expected impacts. The ZEPHYRUS results were presented at the EZI Iberian Zooarchaeology Meeting 2024, held in Barcelona (Spain). Currently, the scientific publications amount to a total of one published manuscript in Molecular Ecology plus two others under review.
Since ancient DNA extraction is minimally destructive, all anatomically complete samples were scanned using the Artec Micro 3D scanner prior to DNA extraction. This generated a mid-resolution tridimensional of the various elements investigating, thereby preserving their integrity for future morphological and biometric studies (Figure 3). Ancient DNA was extracted in the state-of-the-art ancient DNA lab facilities at the host institute using methods running in routine and optimized for ultrashort DNA templates recovery.
Among the main results obtained by ZEPHYRUS (Figure 4), we can highlight: 1) The presence of the IBE lineage in Iberia before and after the Last Glacial Maximum, 2) domestic horses of the DOM2 lineage entered Iberia before the Iron Age, 3) local breeders restocked their domestic herds with IBE wild horses until the lineage became extinct, 4) Iberian domestic DOM2 bloodlines have had a significant influence across Europe and North Africa during the Iron Age and Antiquity and 5) the generation and analysis of the first nuclear genome from a specimen morphologically identified as Equus hydruntinus.
The ZEPHYRUS project has been presented at several forums related to the project's scope in order to raise awareness of its aims and expected impacts. The ZEPHYRUS results were presented at the EZI Iberian Zooarchaeology Meeting 2024, held in Barcelona (Spain). Currently, the scientific publications amount to a total of one published manuscript in Molecular Ecology plus two others under review.
ZEPHYRUS has developed strategies for identifying different stakeholder groups and their relevant target audiences. By using appropriate and integrated tools, ZEPHYRUS has evaluated which aspects of the project’s scientific impact may be most relevant to each group, considering the social and economic effects on them and focusing on effective communication with them. As a result, ZEPHYRUS has created a stakeholder network that maximizes the project's dissemination and communication efforts beyond the state of the art. For example, the livestock sector has been identified as a stakeholder group, with equine breeders and equestrian associations as target audiences (Figure 5). By using seminars and magazine articles as communication channels, ZEPHYRUS has promoted knowledge about the genomic makeup of Iberian horses through time. These activities have raised awareness within these groups about new job opportunities that horse exploitation can create, further contributing to the economic growth of specific sectors through new cultural activities. Undoubtedly, these efforts have also generated awareness of the project’s aims and expected impacts and strengthened ties with other stakeholder groups. The same strategy has been applied to the general public, especially school and high school students (Figure 6). Through magazines, conferences, and workshops, ZEPHYRUS has concentrated its efforts on increasing understanding of ancient genomics projects, particularly concerning ancient and modern Iberian horse populations and their interactions with past societies.