East Meets West: Avar Society’s Genetic Patchwork in Early Medieval Austria

Cultural Unity Amid Genetic Diversity

In the 8th century CE, the Avars—an enigmatic group with roots in the East Asian steppes—settled in Central Europe, weaving a tapestry of cultural cohesion amid genetic diversity. New research, published in Nature¹ by an international team of researchers led by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, delves into the lives of two neighbori…