Ezero culture

The Ezero culture, 3300—2700 BC, was a Bronze Age archaeological culture occupying most of present-day Bulgaria. It takes its name from the Tell-settlement of Ezero.

Ezero culture

Geographical range	Bulgaria
Period	Bronze Age Europe
Dates	c. 3300 – 2700 BC
Preceded by	Suvorovo culture, Karanovo culture, Gumelniţa culture, Varna culture, Cernavodă culture
Followed by	Myceneans, Trojans, Thracians

Ezero follows the copper age cultures of the area (Karanovo VI culture, Gumelniţa culture, Kodzadjemen culture, and Varna culture), after a settlement hiatus in Northern Bulgaria. It bears some relationship to the earlier Cernavodă III culture to the north. Some settlements were fortified.

The Ezero culture is interpreted as part of a larger Balkan-Danubian early Bronze Age complex, a horizon reaching from Troy Id-IIc into Central Europe, encompassing the Baden of the Carpathian Basin and the Coţofeni culture of Romania. According to Hermann Parzinger, there are also typological connections to Poliochne IIa-b and Sitagroi IV.

Economy

Agriculture is in evidence, along with domestic livestock. There is evidence of grape cultivation.^{[citation needed]} Metallurgy was practiced.^{[citation needed]}

Interpretation

Within the context of the Kurgan hypothesis, it would represent a fusion of native "Old European culture" and intrusive "Kurgan culture" elements. It could also represent an Anatolian-influenced culture, either coming from Anatolia (in Renfrew's hypothesis), or heading to Asia Minor.

Genetics

Haplogroups

Genetic studies have shown that the Ezero culture had a male haplogroup R1b. Among the female haplogroups were J2a1, T, U5a1, T2d2, W.^[1]

Autosomal DNA

Genetically the Ezero culture was of local Neolithic origin mainly, also had a contribution from WSH, but this contribution was of varying degrees in the Ezero samples.^[2]

Autosomal DNA Ezero culture

Autosomal DNA Ezero culture