Ancient DNA reveals who lived in the Carpathian Basin before the Hungarians arrived

Long before the arrival of the Hungarians, the Carpathian Basin was already a dynamic and diverse region. A newly published study examining the genetic makeup of more than 300 individuals has shed light on how local communities and newly arrived groups lived alongside one another after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire.

The study, published in Science, was led by István Koncz of Eötvös Loránd University and Yijie Tian of Stony Brook University as part of an international research team. The researchers examined the remains of more than 300 individuals from two Roman-period and five Lombard-period cemeteries in the Little Hungarian Plain, a region in the western part of the Carpathian Basin. Alongside ancient DNA analysis, isotopic testing of the bones allowed the team to draw conclusions about ancestry, mobility and diet.

The population of Roman Pannonia was remarkably diverse

The Roman-period cemeteries revealed a predominantly southern European genetic heritage, although Asian and African ancestry was also present in significant proportions. The findings reflect the diversity of the Roman Empire, showing that the population of Pannonia consisted not only of local groups but also of people whose origins lay in different parts of the empire.

The genetic evidence suggests that the Little Hungarian Plain was already a highly diverse region during the Roman era. People living there traced their ancestry to different parts of the empire, highlighting Pannonia’s role as an important frontier province linking various regions of the Roman world.

Read more: The fascinating story of the Hungarians’ homeland conquest

Genetic clues to Lombard migration in the Carpathian Basin

Following the end of Roman rule, the proportion of northern European genetic ancestry increased significantly in the Little Hungarian Plain. Researchers link this development to the migration of the Lombards, a Germanic people known from historical sources.

Originally living in what is now northern Germany, the Lombards had reached the Middle Danube region by the late fifth century. Historical accounts suggest that they departed for Italy in 568, where their kingdom survived for centuries.

The study also indicates that this was not a single overwhelming wave of migration. Instead, isotopic and genetic evidence points to long-term movements and sustained connections between the Little Hungarian Plain and regions further north.

Rather than supporting a simple narrative of barbarian conquest, the findings reveal a society that changed gradually over time. According to the researchers, relationships between local inhabitants and incoming groups helped lay the foundations of a new political order in the centuries following the collapse of Roman rule.

Surprising discoveries in cemeteries of the Little Hungarian Plain

One of the most intriguing results came from the comparison of the cemeteries at Hegykő and Szeleste. Although the two sites lie only a few dozen kilometres apart, their social structures appear to have been very different.

• At Hegykő, individuals with northern European genetic ancestry formed kinship networks that can be traced across several generations. The richest graves contained weapons, precious-metal brooches and imported objects from distant regions, suggesting that these families belonged to the local elite. The cemetery reflects a community in which family ties and social status were closely connected.
• At Szeleste, however, researchers found no comparable large family groups. Instead, northern and southern ancestral backgrounds already appeared within the same families. This suggests that people of different origins mixed more rapidly there and that the community was not organised around extensive kinship networks.

The two cemeteries are particularly fascinating because, at first glance, the graves and burial customs appear very similar. Genetic analysis, however, tells a different story. At Hegykő, wealthy families of northern European ancestry maintained kinship networks across generations, whereas at Szeleste people of different backgrounds had already begun to merge within individual family lines.

In other words, there was no single social model in the 6th century in the western part of the Carpathian Basin. Some communities were built around large kinship networks, while in others local inhabitants and newcomers had formed mixed families within only a few generations.

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