Back to Search
Start Over
Ancient genomes indicate population replacement in Early Neolithic Britain
- Source :
- Nature Ecology & Evolution, 3(5), 765-771. Nature Publishing Group
- Publication Year :
- 2019
-
Abstract
- The roles of migration, admixture and acculturation in the European transition to farming have been debated for over 100 years. Genome-wide ancient DNA studies indicate predominantly Aegean ancestry for continental Neolithic farmers, but also variable admixture with local Mesolithic hunter-gatherers. Neolithic cultures first appear in Britain ca. 4000 BCE, a millennium after they appear in adjacent areas of continental Europe. The pattern and process of this delayed British Neolithic transition remains unclear. We assembled genome-wide data from six Mesolithic and 67 Neolithic individuals found in Britain, dating from 8500-2500 BCE. Our analyses reveal persistent genetic affinities between Mesolithic British and Western European hunter-gatherers. We find overwhelming support for agriculture being introduced to Britain by incoming continental farmers, with small, geographically-structured levels of hunter-gatherer ancestry. Unlike other European Neolithic populations, we detect no resurgence of hunter-gatherer ancestry at any time during the Neolithic in Britain. Genetic affinities with Iberian Neolithic individuals indicate that British Neolithic people were mostly descended from Aegean farmers who followed the Mediterranean route of dispersal. We also infer considerable variation in pigmentation levels in Europe by ca. 6000 BCE.
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
Population Dynamics
Population genetics
Population Replacement
Article
03 medical and health sciences
Humans
0601 history and archaeology
DNA, Ancient
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Mesolithic
Genome
060102 archaeology
Ecology
Extramural
business.industry
06 humanities and the arts
Acculturation
humanities
United Kingdom
Europe
030104 developmental biology
Geography
Ancient DNA
Agriculture
Ethnology
Biological dispersal
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 2397334X
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Nature Ecology & Evolution, 3(5), 765-771. Nature Publishing Group
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....e9d9c180d329aef69b2158ac48032fff