While the networking mechanisms and major turning points underscoring the connectivity are highly relevant to the progress of Bronze Age research, current chronological knowledge is unfortunately tied to single burials with only broad indications of relationships across. When coupled to artefact-based typo-chronology of metals in stratigraphically well-defined units, i.e. graves, high-precision radiocarbon dating—aided by Bayesian statistics, aDNA and osseous material analysis are powerful tools for establishing sequenced fixed points in deep-historical time and entanglements of human societies.

Previous research focused only on grave-based collection of 14C and aDNA samples with little attention given to which graves and implicitly individuals were major actors or when major

turning points occurred. Furthermore, the analysis never focused on sets of find assemblages, like in our case burials with metals, of larger European regions, nor provided a holistic picture of their Bronze Age agencies. Although, the museums of the ECB are lush with information on funerary data, their scientific value cannot be efficiently engaged, as more than 80% of human and animal osseous remains from graves are still not analysed. The overdue anthropological and archaeozoological analysis, with special focus on those associated with metals, is an imperative, which will not only benefit the present research, but the wider scientific community as well.

The novel Bayesian approach interprets 14C data originating from sets of samples, its originality and innovative nature lies in the statistical interpretation of radiocarbon dates, which in turn allows a more accurate reconstruction of prehistory. In addition, fully sequenced genome, of selected aDNA samples, in the cutting edge clean rooms and molecular biology labs at Jena is employed. These are supported by top computational logistics for data analysis and processing, by which the interdisciplinary and innovative methodology needed for the exploration of Bronze Age kinship is provided, as are databases of previously sequenced aDNA from neighbouring regions.

For the first time as part of a systematic, multi-step research the consanguinity of individuals from the ECB and their social mobility within the regional and continental scenes can be outlined.