A recent archaeogenetic study has revealed intriguing details about Las Gobas, an isolated medieval community in northern Spain. In addition to uncovering patterns of isolation and endogamy, researchers identified the variola virus, which could offer new explanations for how smallpox spread into Iberia.
Researchers from Sweden and Spain have conducted a comprehensive study on a community that existed from the 6th to the 11th century in the Burgos province of northern Spain, near the village of Laño. This community, located on the border between the Christian kingdoms of the north and Al-Andalus to the south, lived in a time of religious competition, power struggles, and significant human mobility across the Iberian Peninsula. Despite these dynamic surroundings, Las Gobas remained remarkably isolated.
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The study, published in Science Advances, focused on Las Gobas, a site known for its church and living areas carved into caves. Forty-one burials were excavated, and 39 underwent detailed archaeogenetic analysis. The research, led by Ricardo Rodríguez Varela from the Centre for Palaeogenetics (CPG) in Stockholm, combined genetic, archaeological, and historical data to paint a picture of a community that stayed relatively secluded despite the region’s turbulent history.
Aerial photo of the burials by Lourdes Herrasti
Key Findings: Isolation and Pathogens
“Our findings indicate that this community stayed relatively isolated for at least five centuries,” said Rodríguez Varela. He explained that although Las Gobas was just north of areas under Islamic rule, “we found relatively low levels of North African and Middle Eastern ancestry compared to other medieval individuals from the Iberian Peninsula, and we did not observe a significant increase in these ancestries after the Islamic conquest of Iberia.”
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Zoé Pochon, another researcher from CPG, highlighted the discovery of several understudied pathogens in the human remains from Las Gobas. “For example, Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, a bacterium that causes skin disease through contamination of open wounds, often infects humans via domestic animals, suggesting that animal-keeping was important for this community.”
One of the most striking discoveries was the presence of the variola virus, the causative agent of smallpox, in one of the more recent burials. This particular strain closely resembles those found in Scandinavia, Germany, and Russia, emphasizing the widespread presence of smallpox across Europe during the Middle Ages.
Skulls showing signs of violence. Photo by Lourdes Herrasti
Rethinking Smallpox in Iberia
Anders Götherström, the senior author of the study, expressed amazement at the depth of information uncovered through the archaeogenetic investigation. He explained, “An endogamous group, familiar with violence, appears to have established itself in Las Gobas during the 6th or 7th century. By the 10th century, smallpox seems to have affected Las Gobas, likely spreading through Europe rather than via Islamic routes, as was previously theorized for how smallpox entered Iberia.”
This study provides new insights into the complex social, genetic, and health dynamics of a long-isolated community in early medieval Spain, shedding light on how diseases like smallpox may have traveled across Europe.
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The article, “Five centuries of consanguinity, isolation, health, and conflict in Las Gobas: A Northern Medieval Iberian necropolis,” by Ricardo Rodríguez-Varela , Reyhan Yaka, Zoé Pochon, Iban Sanchez-Pinto, José Luis Solaun, Thijessen Naidoo, Benjamin Guinet, Patxi Pérez-Ramallo, Vendela Kempe Lagerholm, Violeta de Anca Prado, Cristina Valdiosera, Maja Krzewińska, Lourdes Herrasti, Agustín Azkarate, and Anders Götherström, appears in Science Advances. Click here to read it.
Top Image: Aerial view of the excavated area in the early medieval settlement of Las Gobas (Condado de Treviño, Spain). Photo by GPAC (Grupo de investigación en Patrimonio Construido) Basque Country University
A recent archaeogenetic study has revealed intriguing details about Las Gobas, an isolated medieval community in northern Spain. In addition to uncovering patterns of isolation and endogamy, researchers identified the variola virus, which could offer new explanations for how smallpox spread into Iberia.
Researchers from Sweden and Spain have conducted a comprehensive study on a community that existed from the 6th to the 11th century in the Burgos province of northern Spain, near the village of Laño. This community, located on the border between the Christian kingdoms of the north and Al-Andalus to the south, lived in a time of religious competition, power struggles, and significant human mobility across the Iberian Peninsula. Despite these dynamic surroundings, Las Gobas remained remarkably isolated.
The study, published in Science Advances, focused on Las Gobas, a site known for its church and living areas carved into caves. Forty-one burials were excavated, and 39 underwent detailed archaeogenetic analysis. The research, led by Ricardo Rodríguez Varela from the Centre for Palaeogenetics (CPG) in Stockholm, combined genetic, archaeological, and historical data to paint a picture of a community that stayed relatively secluded despite the region’s turbulent history.
Key Findings: Isolation and Pathogens
“Our findings indicate that this community stayed relatively isolated for at least five centuries,” said Rodríguez Varela. He explained that although Las Gobas was just north of areas under Islamic rule, “we found relatively low levels of North African and Middle Eastern ancestry compared to other medieval individuals from the Iberian Peninsula, and we did not observe a significant increase in these ancestries after the Islamic conquest of Iberia.”
Zoé Pochon, another researcher from CPG, highlighted the discovery of several understudied pathogens in the human remains from Las Gobas. “For example, Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, a bacterium that causes skin disease through contamination of open wounds, often infects humans via domestic animals, suggesting that animal-keeping was important for this community.”
One of the most striking discoveries was the presence of the variola virus, the causative agent of smallpox, in one of the more recent burials. This particular strain closely resembles those found in Scandinavia, Germany, and Russia, emphasizing the widespread presence of smallpox across Europe during the Middle Ages.
Rethinking Smallpox in Iberia
Anders Götherström, the senior author of the study, expressed amazement at the depth of information uncovered through the archaeogenetic investigation. He explained, “An endogamous group, familiar with violence, appears to have established itself in Las Gobas during the 6th or 7th century. By the 10th century, smallpox seems to have affected Las Gobas, likely spreading through Europe rather than via Islamic routes, as was previously theorized for how smallpox entered Iberia.”
This study provides new insights into the complex social, genetic, and health dynamics of a long-isolated community in early medieval Spain, shedding light on how diseases like smallpox may have traveled across Europe.
The article, “Five centuries of consanguinity, isolation, health, and conflict in Las Gobas: A Northern Medieval Iberian necropolis,” by Ricardo Rodríguez-Varela , Reyhan Yaka, Zoé Pochon, Iban Sanchez-Pinto, José Luis Solaun, Thijessen Naidoo, Benjamin Guinet, Patxi Pérez-Ramallo, Vendela Kempe Lagerholm, Violeta de Anca Prado, Cristina Valdiosera, Maja Krzewińska, Lourdes Herrasti, Agustín Azkarate, and Anders Götherström, appears in Science Advances. Click here to read it.
Top Image: Aerial view of the excavated area in the early medieval settlement of Las Gobas (Condado de Treviño, Spain). Photo by GPAC (Grupo de investigación en Patrimonio Construido) Basque Country University
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