Tracing the genetic origin of Europe's first farmers reveals insights into their social organization

Szécsényi-Nagy, Anna; Brandt, Guido; Haak, Wolfgang; Keerl, Victoria; Jakucs, János; Möller-Rieker, Sabine; Köhler, Kitti; Mende, Balázs Gusztáv; Oross, Krisztián; Marton, Tibor; Osztás, Anett; Kiss, Viktória; Fecher, Marc; Paragh, György; Molnár, Erika; Sebők, Katalin; Czene, András; Paluch, Tibor; Šlaus, Mario; Novak, Mario; Pećina‐Šlaus, Nives; Ősz, Brigitta; Voicsek, Vanda; Somogyi, Krisztina; Tóth, Gábor; Kromer, Bernd; Bánffy, Eszter; Alt, Kurt W.

doi:10.1098/rspb.2015.0339

Cited by 136 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…2C), and the age of U7b in Europe (5–10 kya) is incompatible with its presence there prior to the Holocene. To date, aDNA studies have not found any example of U7 in either Neolithic or pre-Neolithic contexts145505152535455565758. In contrast, other clades of hg U were common during the postglacial re-expansion period, including U8a, which is extremely rare today24.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…These have also been argued to have arrived into Europe during the early Neolithic from the Near East2596061, and display a clear northward frequency cline2362. According to aDNA evidence, Neolithic populations in Europe display a distinct mtDNA lineage make-up, argued to be derived from Near Eastern sources155051525556575863. This early colonisation was probably followed by a complex process of assimilation of autochthonous hunter-gatherer diversity, seen most clearly in the autosomes.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Origin and spread of human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup U7

Sahakyan

Kashani

Tamang

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

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Human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup U is among the initial maternal founders in Southwest Asia and Europe and one that best indicates matrilineal genetic continuity between late Pleistocene hunter-gatherer groups and present-day populations of Europe. While most haplogroup U subclades are older than 30 thousand years, the comparatively recent coalescence time of the extant variation of haplogroup U7 (~16–19 thousand years ago) suggests that its current distribution is the consequence of more recent dispersal events, despite its wide geographical range across Europe, the Near East and South Asia. Here we report 267 new U7 mitogenomes that – analysed alongside 100 published ones – enable us to discern at least two distinct temporal phases of dispersal, both of which most likely emanated from the Near East. The earlier one began prior to the Holocene (~11.5 thousand years ago) towards South Asia, while the later dispersal took place more recently towards Mediterranean Europe during the Neolithic (~8 thousand years ago). These findings imply that the carriers of haplogroup U7 spread to South Asia and Europe before the suggested Bronze Age expansion of Indo-European languages from the Pontic-Caspian Steppe region.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Origin and spread of human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup U7

Sahakyan

Kashani

Tamang

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

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“…We also infer an average admixture date of 5675 ± 55 BCE for the ALPc MN, again suggesting that in Hungary, interaction between Anatolian migrants and local hunter-gatherers began in the Early Neolithic (cf. refs 14, 24–26). The greatest differences between Alföld and Transdanubia are observed in the MN, with substantially more hunter-gatherer ancestry in ALPc than LBKT (Fig.…”

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confidence: 99%

Parallel palaeogenomic transects reveal complex genetic history of early European farmers

Lipson¹,

Szécsényi-Nagy²,

Mallick³

et al. 2017

Nature

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Ancient DNA studies have established that Neolithic European populations were descended from Anatolian migrants1–8 who received a limited amount of admixture from resident hunter-gatherers3–5,9. Many open questions remain, however, about the spatial and temporal dynamics of population interactions and admixture during the Neolithic period. Using the highest-resolution genome-wide ancient DNA data set assembled to date—a total of 180 samples, 130 newly reported here, from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic of Hungary (6000–2900 BCE, n = 100), Germany (5500–3000 BCE, n = 42), and Spain (5500–2200 BCE, n = 38)—we investigate the population dynamics of Neolithization across Europe. We find that genetic diversity was shaped predominantly by local processes, with varied sources and proportions of hunter-gatherer ancestry among the three regions and through time. Admixture between groups with different ancestry profiles was pervasive and resulted in observable population transformation across almost all cultural transitions. Our results shed new light on the ways that gene flow reshaped European populations throughout the Neolithic period and demonstrate the potential of time-series-based sampling and modeling approaches to elucidate multiple dimensions of historical population interactions.

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“…As already proposed for other Neolithic farmer groups [43, 53, 54], this maternal diversity could be an indicator of a patrilocal social system (although Y chromosome data are necessary to directly test this hypothesis). Interestingly, each multiple structure also showed a striking maternal diversity.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 71%

Multi-scale ancient DNA analyses confirm the western origin of Michelsberg farmers and document probable practices of human sacrifice

et al. 2017

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In Europe, the Middle Neolithic is characterized by an important diversification of cultures. In northeastern France, the appearance of the Michelsberg culture has been correlated with major cultural changes and interpreted as the result of the settlement of new groups originating from the Paris Basin. This cultural transition has been accompanied by the expansion of particular funerary practices involving inhumations within circular pits and individuals in “non-conventional” positions (deposited in the pits without any particular treatment). If the status of such individuals has been highly debated, the sacrifice hypothesis has been retained for the site of Gougenheim (Alsace). At the regional level, the analysis of the Gougenheim mitochondrial gene pool (SNPs and HVR-I sequence analyses) permitted us to highlight a major genetic break associated with the emergence of the Michelsberg in the region. This genetic discontinuity appeared to be linked to new affinities with farmers from the Paris Basin, correlated to a noticeable hunter-gatherer legacy. All of the evidence gathered supports (i) the occidental origin of the Michelsberg groups and (ii) the potential implication of this migration in the progression of the hunter-gatherer legacy from the Paris Basin to Alsace / Western Germany at the beginning of the Late Neolithic. At the local level, we noted some differences in the maternal gene pool of individuals in "conventional" vs. "non-conventional" positions. The relative genetic isolation of these sub-groups nicely echoes both their social distinction and the hypothesis of sacrifices retained for the site. Our investigation demonstrates that a multi-scale aDNA study of ancient communities offers a unique opportunity to disentangle the complex relationships between cultural and biological evolution.

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Tracing the genetic origin of Europe's first farmers reveals insights into their social organization

Cited by 136 publications

References 60 publications

Origin and spread of human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup U7

Origin and spread of human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup U7

Parallel palaeogenomic transects reveal complex genetic history of early European farmers

Multi-scale ancient DNA analyses confirm the western origin of Michelsberg farmers and document probable practices of human sacrifice

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