Regional population collapse followed initial agriculture booms in mid-Holocene Europe

Shennan, Stephen; Downey, Sean S.; Timpson, Adrian; Edinborough, Kevan; Colledge, Sue; Kerig, Tim; Manning, Katie; Thomas, Mark G.

doi:10.1038/ncomms3486

Cited by 610 publications

(734 citation statements)

References 38 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

666

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…As a result, Collard et al (2010, 867-9) suggested that south-west England (ie Wessex) was the first area to witness population increase, inferred to have been brought on by the arrival of the Neolithic through incoming migration from c. 4100 cal BC. Since 2010, the Collard et al team have updated, but not substantially altered the results or conclusions of, their earlier work in various papers (eg, Shennan et al 2013;Timpson et al 2014).…”

Section: Recent Chronologies Of the Mesolithic-neolithic Transitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the early 21st century, there has been a significant resurgence of interest in the issue (eg, Sheridan 2010;Whittle et al 2011;Thomas 2013). Most discussions since the early 20th century have focused on the processes by which Neolithic practices arrived in Britain and Ireland from continental Europe.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The manner in which 'the Neolithic' arrived in Britain and Ireland was a topic of debate throughout the 20th century (eg, Case 1969;Kinnes 1988; see Thomas 2013 andAnderson-Whymark &Garrow 2015 for recent reviews). In the early 21st century, there has been a significant resurgence of interest in the issue (eg, Sheridan 2010;Whittle et al 2011;Thomas 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Stepping Stones to the Neolithic? Radiocarbon Dating the Early Neolithic on Islands Within the ‘Western Seaways’ of Britain

Garrow¹,

Griffiths

Anderson-Whymark

et al. 2017

Proc. Prehist. Soc.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The western seaways -an arc of sea stretching from the Channel Islands in the south, up through the Isles of Scilly, the Isle of Man, and the Outer Hebrides to Orkney in the north -have long been seen as crucial to our understanding of the processes which led to the arrival of the Neolithic in Britain and Ireland in the centuries around 4000 cal BC. The western seaways have not, however, been considered in detail within any of the recent studies addressing the radiocarbon chronology of the earliest Neolithic in that wider region. This paper presents a synthesis of all existing 5th and 4th millennia cal BC radiocarbon dates from islands within the western seaways, including 50 new results obtained specifically for this study. While the focus here is insular in a literal sense, the project's results have far reaching implications for our understanding of the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in Britain and Ireland and beyond. The findings broadly fit well with the Gathering Time model of Whittle et al., suggesting that the earliest dated Neolithic in this zone falls into the c. 3900-3700 cal BC bracket. However, it is also noted that our current chronological understanding is based on comparatively few dates spread across a large area. Consequently, it is suggested that both further targeted work and an approach that incorporates an element of typo-chronology (as well as absolute dating) is necessary if we are to move forward our understanding of the processes associated with the appearance of the first Neolithic material culture and practices in this key region.

show abstract

Section: Recent Chronologies Of the Mesolithic-neolithic Transitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Stepping Stones to the Neolithic? Radiocarbon Dating the Early Neolithic on Islands Within the ‘Western Seaways’ of Britain

Garrow¹,

Griffiths

Anderson-Whymark

et al. 2017

Proc. Prehist. Soc.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…McLaughlin et al 2016, and, when taphonomy can be controlled and the significance of the patterns tested, past demographics (e.g. Crema et al 2016;Porčić et al 2016;Shennan et al 2013).…”

Section: Summed Probabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These studies build on pioneering continental-scale studies also published in recent years (e.g. Hinz et al 2012;Peros et al 2010;Shennan et al 2013;Timpson et al 2014;Wang et al 2014;Williams 2013). The current high level of interest in this kind of work doubtless has many causes, including (a) the fact that available archaeological data have now reached a critical mass, allowing the work to proceed (b) hyper-familiarity by archaeologists with computers and the internet, which now pervade virtually every aspect of modern life, (c) nextgeneration ancient DNA work which has invigorated interest in demography and population history and (d) a broader shift towards Bdigital humanities^, positioning archaeology at the interface between scientific research and BBig Data^(for an extended discussion, see Kristiansen 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On Applications of Space–Time Modelling with Open-Source 14C Age Calibration

McLaughlin

2018

J Archaeol Method Theory

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In archaeology, the meta-analysis of scientific dating information plays an ever-increasing role. A common thread among many recent studies contributing to this has been the development of bespoke software for summarizing and synthesizing data, identifying significant patterns therein. These are reviewed in this paper, which also contains open-source scripts for calibrating radiocarbon dates and modelling them in space and time, using the R computer language and GRASS GIS. The case studies that undertake new analysis of archaeological data are (1) the spread of the Neolithic in Europe, (2) economic consequences of the Great Famine and Black Death in the fourteenth century Britain and Ireland and (3) the role of climate change in influencing cultural change in the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age Ireland. These case studies exemplify an emerging trend in archaeology, which is quickly re-defining itself as a data-driven discipline at the intersection of science and the humanities.

show abstract

The Archaeogenetics of European Ancestry

Pala

Chaubey

Soares

et al. 2014

Encyclopedia of Life Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The archaeogenetics of Europe remains deeply controversial. Advances in ancient deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analysis have suggested gene flow between Neanderthals and modern humans, who arrived in Europe <50 000 years ago, but have so far failed to support evolution of Neanderthals from a population of Homo heidelbergensis represented by remains in northern Spain. The extent to which European Mesolithic forager populations versus Neolithic pioneers from the Near East contributed to the extant gene pool of Europeans also continues to be contested. Whilst analyses of extant mitochondrial lineages have emphasised late Palaeolithic and Mesolithic expansions, ancient DNA (aDNA) results suggest significant Neolithic dispersals from the southern ‘refugial’ zone into the northern ‘bio‐tidal’ zone. However, whether these had a primarily Near Eastern or North Mediterranean source remains a matter for debate. Meanwhile, aDNA has also begun to highlight an important role for later dispersals, especially during the late Neolithic, in shaping the European gene pool. Key Concepts: The archaeogenetics of Europe has been intensively studied but remains in flux and deeply controversial, with no universally accepted methodological approach. Hominins, including Homo antecessor , Homo heidelbergensis , Neanderthals and modern humans, have been present in Europe for more than 1 million years (My). Neanderthals and modern humans are thought to have a common ancestor, Homo heidelbergensis , approximately half a million years ago, and to have interbred at low levels as modern humans dispersed into Eurasia from Africa approximately 60 000 years ago. However, the status of hominin remains from northern Spain as representing a step from this ancestor towards the Neanderthals has recently been questioned by mtDNA evidence. The importance of the phylogeographic approach can be seen in the elucidation of the relationships between the north European, Finnic‐speaking Saami people, who traditionally lacked agriculture, and farming‐based Europeans. Analyses of contemporary mtDNAs suggest that most arose within the pre‐Neolithic foraging communities of Europe >10 000 years ago, rather than being introduced with farming from the Near East approximately 9000 years ago, but ancient DNA evidence from central and northern Europe has questioned this view. The solution may lie in the distinction between ‘bio‐tidal’ sink and ‘refugium’ source areas, north and south of the continental divide respectively – there may have been significant dispersals from the latter into the former regions in the Neolithic as well as in the Late Glacial and immediate postglacial periods. With increasing success in the recovery of ancient DNA, archaeogenetics is finally also beginning to shed light on post‐Neolithic dispersals – as illustrated by the recent demonstration that most Ashkenazi maternal lineages have a European, rather than Levantine, source. An integrated combination of both ancient and contemporary DNA studies and an eclectic variety of approaches to data analysis may be the best way forward for archaeogenetics.

show abstract

Regional population collapse followed initial agriculture booms in mid-Holocene Europe

Cited by 610 publications

References 38 publications

Stepping Stones to the Neolithic? Radiocarbon Dating the Early Neolithic on Islands Within the ‘Western Seaways’ of Britain

Stepping Stones to the Neolithic? Radiocarbon Dating the Early Neolithic on Islands Within the ‘Western Seaways’ of Britain

On Applications of Space–Time Modelling with Open-Source 14C Age Calibration

The Archaeogenetics of European Ancestry

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About