The settlement at Kněževes is situated near Prague, and the non-profit company Archaia carried out a rescue archaeological research there in 1998. A set of skeletal remains was collected from three settlement features dated in the Late Bronze Age. The skeletons were subjected to anthropological and genetic analyses for sex determination. First, in the genetic analysis recent DNA from the femur was used to compare isolation methods. We tested four different DNA extraction protocols: phenol-chloroform method, Dextran Blue mediated extraction method, and two isolation protocols using the DNA IQTM System, and the QIAamp DNA Blood Mini Kit, respectively. Skeletal remains from Kněževes were subjected to the selected extraction method and subsequently to PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) reaction for sex determination. The amplified aDNA (ancient DNA) was separated using the polyacrylamide electrophoresis. After comparison of genetic and anthropological methods, aDNA analysis confirmed that it is reliable for sex determination of subadult skeletal remains with undeveloped secondary sex characteristics.

Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics 2nd School of Medicine Charles University and University Hospital Motol Praha

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