Nomadic groups of conquering Hungarians played a predominant role in Hungarian prehistory, but genetic data are available only from the immigrant elite strata. Most of the 10–11th century remains in the Carpathian Basin belong to common people, whose origin and relation to the immigrant elite have been widely debated. Mitogenome sequences were obtained from 202 individuals with next generation sequencing combined with hybridization capture. Median joining networks were used for phylogenetic analysis. The commoner population was compared to 87 ancient Eurasian populations with sequence-based (Fst) and haplogroup-based population genetic methods. The haplogroup composition of the commoner population markedly differs from that of the elite, and, in contrast to the elite, commoners cluster with European populations. Alongside this, detectable sub-haplogroup sharing indicates admixture between the elite and the commoners. The majority of the 10–11th century commoners most likely represent local populations of the Carpathian Basin, which admixed with the eastern immigrant groups (which included conquering Hungarians).

The Hunyadi family is one of the most influential families in the history of Central Europe in the 14th–16th centuries. The family’s prestige was established by Johannes Hunyadi, a Turk-beater who rose to the position of governor of the Kingdom of Hungary. His second son, Matthias Hunyadi, became the elected ruler of the Kingdom of Hungary in 1458. The Hunyadi family had unknown origin. Moreover, Matthias failed to found a dynasty because of lacking a legitimate heir and his illegitimate son Johannes Corvinus was unable to obtain the crown. His grandson, Christophorus Corvinus, died in childhood, thus the direct male line of the family ended.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection that is well-known in the palaeopathological record because it can affect the skeleton and consequently leaves readily identifiable macroscopic alterations. Palaeopathological case studies provide invaluable information about the spatio-temporal distribution of TB in the past. This is true for those archaeological periods and geographical regions from when and where no or very few TB cases have been published until now–as in the Sarmatian period (1^st–5^thcenturies CE) in the Barbaricum of the Carpathian Basin. The aim of our paper is to discuss five newly discovered TB cases (HK199,HK201,HK225,HK253, andHK309) from the Sarmatian-period archaeological site of Hódmezővásárhely–Kenyere-ér, Bereczki-tanya (Csongrád-Csanád county, Hungary). Detailed macromorphological evaluation of the skeletons focused on the detection of bony changes likely associated with different forms of TB. In all five cases, the presence of endocranial alterations (especially TB-specific granular impressions) suggests that these individuals suffered from TB meningitis. Furthermore, the skeletal lesions observed in the spine and both hip joints ofHK225indicate that this juvenile also had multifocal osteoarticular TB. Thanks to the discovery ofHK199,HK201,HK225,HK253, andHK309, the number of TB cases known from the Sarmatian-period Carpathian Basin doubled, implying that the disease was likely more frequent in the Barbaricum than previously thought. Without the application of granular impressions, the diagnosis of TB could not have been established in these five cases. Thus, the identification of TB in these individuals highlights the importance of diagnostics development, especially the refinement of diagnostic criteria. Based on the above, the systematic macromorphological (re-)evaluation of osteoarchaeological series from the Sarmatian-period Carpathian Basin would be advantageous to provide a more accurate picture of how TB may have impacted the ancestral human communities of the Barbaricum.

S ummary: The nomadic Sarmatians dominated the Pontic Steppe from 3rd century BCE and the Great Hungarian Plain from 50 CE until the Huns’ 4th-century expansion. In this study, we present the first large-scale genetic analysis of 156 genomes from 1st- to 5th-century Hungary and the Carpathian foothills. Our findings reveal minor East Asian ancestry in the Carpathian Basin (CB) Sarmatians, distinguishing them from other regional populations. Using F4-statistics, qpAdm, and IBD analysis, we show that CB Sarmatians descended from Steppe Sarmatians originating in the Ural and Kazakhstan regions, with Romanian Sarmatians serving as a genetic bridge between the two groups. We also identify two previously unknown migration waves during the Sarmatian era and a notable continuity of the Sarmatian population into the Hunnic period, despite a smaller influx of Asian-origin individuals. These results shed new light on Sarmatian migrations and the genetic history of a key population neighbouring the Roman Empire.

The Aba family played a pivotal role in the early history of Medieval Hungary dominating extensive territories and giving rise to influential figures. We conducted an archaeogenetic examination of remains uncovered at the necropolis in Abasár, the political centre of the Aba clan, to identify Aba family members and shed light on their genetic origins. Utilizing Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) data from 19 individuals, complemented by radiocarbon measurements, we identified 6 members of the Aba family who shared close kinship relations. Our analysis revealed that 4 males from this family carried identical N1a1a1a1a4∼ haplogroups. Significantly, our phylogenetic investigation traced this royal paternal lineage back to Mongolia, strongly suggesting its migration to the Carpathian Basin with the conquering Hungarians. Genome analysis, incorporating ADMIXTURE, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and qpAdm, revealed East Eurasian patterns in the studied genomes, consistent with our phylogenetic results. Shared Identity by Descent (IBD) analysis confirmed the family kinship relations and shed light on further external kinship connections. It revealed that members of the Aba family were related to members of prominent Hungarian medieval noble families the Árpáds, Báthorys and Corvinus as well as to the first-generation immigrant elite of the Hungarian conquest.