Genetic Discontinuity Between Local Hunter-Gatherers and Central Europe’s First Farmers
Abstract
Cultivating Farmers: Were the ancestors of modern Europeans the local hunter-gatherers who assimilated farming practices from neighboring cultures, or were they farmers who migrated from the Near East in the early Neolithic? By analyzing ancient hunter-gatherer skeletal DNA from 2300 to 13,400 B.C.E. Bramanti et al. (p. 137 , published online 3 September) investigated the genetic relationship of European Ice Age hunter-gatherers, the first farmers of Europe, and modern Europeans. The results reject the hypothesis of direct continuity between hunter-gatherers and early farmers and between hunter-gatherers and modern Europeans. Major parts of central and northern Europe were colonized by incoming farmers 7500 years ago, who were not descended from the resident hunter-gatherers. Thus, migration rather than cultural diffusion was the driver of farming communities in Europe.
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Continuity between early central European farmers and modern Europeans has been rejected in a previous study.
“Conversely, continuity between early central European farmers and modern Europeans has been rejected in a previous study (33).”
From Direct evidence for positive selection of skin, hair, and eye pigmentation in Europeans during the last 5,000 y (2014) · cites this paper as [33]
The Eneolithic and Bronze Age sequences presented here are ∼500-2,000 y younger than the early Neolithic and belong to lineages identified both in early farmers and late hunter-gatherers from central Europe.
“However, the Eneolithic and Bronze Age sequences presented here are ∼500–2,000 y younger than the early Neolithic and belong to lineages identified both in early farmers and late hunter–gatherers from central Europe (33).”
From Direct evidence for positive selection of skin, hair, and eye pigmentation in Europeans during the last 5,000 y (2014) · cites this paper as [33]
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- Authors
- Bramanti, B., Thomas, M. G., Haak, W., Unterlaender, M., Jores, P., Tambets, K., Antanaitis-Jacobs, I., Haidle, M. N., Jankauskas, R., Kind, C.-J., Lueth, F., Terberger, T., Hiller, J., Matsumura, S., Forster, P., & Burger, J.
- Affiliations
- Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (DE)
- Arts and Humanities Research Council (GB)
- Estonian Biocentre (EE)
- Vilnius University (LT)
- Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (DE)
- Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart (DE)
- Römisch-Germanische Kommission (RGK), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
- Universität Greifswald (DE)
- Cardiff University (GB)
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (AT)
- Cambridge Society for the Application of Research, Cambridge, UK.
- Institute for Anthropology, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
- Corresponding author
- Bramanti, B.
- Haak, W.
- Jores, P.
- Hiller, J.
- Matsumura, S.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2009-10-02
- Volume
- 326
- Issue
- 5949
- Pages
- 137-140
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2066201496
- Cited by
- 504
- References
- 14
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 31 · 2018: 25 · 2017: 51 · 2016: 27 · 2015: 36 · 2014: 46 · 2013: 48 · 2012: 49
- FWCI
- 21.72
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Adelaide Research & Scholarship (AR&S) (University of Adelaide) (submittedVersion)
- IIASA PURE (International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis) (submittedVersion)
- MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
- Institutional Research Information System University of Ferrara (University of Ferrara) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Forensic and Genetic Research
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic diversity and population structure
- Keywords
- hunter-gatherers, early farmers, Neolithic, population continuity, mitochondrial DNA, ancient DNA, migration, Neolithic transition, Central Europe, Near East
- MeSH terms
- Agriculture, DNA, Mitochondrial, Emigration and Immigration, Europe, Female, Haplotypes, Humans, Male, Population Dynamics, Probability, Genetic Variation, White People, History, Ancient
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