Ancient genomes from present-day France unveil 7,000 years of its demographic history

Genomic studies conducted on ancient individuals across Europe have revealed how migrations have contributed to its present genetic landscape, but the territory of present-day France has yet to be connected to the broader European picture. We generated a large dataset comprising the complete mitochondrial genomes, Y-chromosome markers, and genotypes of a number of nuclear loci of interest of 243 individuals sampled across present-day France over a period spanning 7,000 y, complemented with a partially overlapping dataset of 58 low-coverage genomes. This panel provides a high-resolution transect of the dynamics of maternal and paternal lineages in France as well as of autosomal genotypes. Parental lineages and genomic data both revealed demographic patterns in France for the Neolithic and Bronze Age transitions consistent with neighboring regions, first with a migration wave of Anatolian farmers followed by varying degrees of admixture with autochthonous hunter-gatherers, and then substantial gene flow from individuals deriving part of their ancestry from the Pontic steppe at the onset of the Bronze Age. Our data have also highlighted the persistence of Magdalenian-associated ancestry in hunter-gatherer populations outside of Spain and thus provide arguments for an expansion of these populations at the end of the Paleolithic Period more northerly than what has been described so far. Finally, no major demographic changes were detected during the transition between the Bronze and Iron Ages.

Download Full-text

Language dispersals and the “Secondary Peoples’ Revolution”

The Oxford Guide to the Transeurasian Languages ◽

10.1093/oso/9780198804628.003.0048 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 806-814

Author(s):

Mark James Hudson

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Northeast Asia ◽

Ryukyu Islands ◽

State Control ◽

Hunter Gatherers ◽

Population Movements ◽

The Ryukyu Islands ◽

Northeast Asian ◽

Cattle Husbandry ◽

The Bronze Age

Population growth and demic diffusion help explain the early Neolithic expansions of agriculture and Transeurasian languages in Northeast Asia. By the Bronze Age, alluvial agrarian states had come to possess considerable political and economic dominance over their subjects in the civilizational centers of Eurasia. At the same time, however, Bronze Age economies offered new opportunities for trade and secondary expansion into areas outside state control. This chapter argues that the resulting population movements—here termed the “secondary peoples’ revolution”—were of great significance in the post-Neolithic dispersals of Transeurasian languages. Four examples are briefly discussed: steppe nomadic pastoralism, Sakha horse and cattle husbandry, northeast Asian hunter-gatherers, and agriculture associated with trade/piracy networks in the Ryukyu Islands.

Download Full-text

Archaeogenetic analysis of Neolithic sheep from Anatolia suggests a complex demographic history since domestication

10.1101/2020.04.17.033415 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Erinç Yurtman ◽

Onur Özer ◽

Eren Yüncü ◽

Nihan Dilşad Dağtaş ◽

Dilek Koptekin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Demographic History ◽

Haplotype Diversity ◽

Late Glacial ◽

Mitochondrial Haplotype ◽

Wild Populations ◽

Early Neolithic ◽

Nuclear Polymorphism ◽

Polymorphism Data ◽

The Bronze Age

AbstractSheep was among the first domesticated animals, but its demographic history is little understood. Here we present combined analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear polymorphism data from ancient central and west Anatolian sheep dating to the Late Glacial and early Holocene. We observe loss of mitochondrial haplotype diversity around 7500 BCE during the early Neolithic, consistent with a domestication-related bottleneck. Post-7000 BCE, mitochondrial haplogroup diversity increases, compatible with admixture from other domestication centres and/or from wild populations. Analysing archaeogenomic data, we further find that Anatolian Neolithic sheep (ANS) are genetically closest to present-day European breeds, and especially those from central and north Europe. Our results indicate that Asian contribution to south European breeds in the post-Neolithic era, possibly during the Bronze Age, may explain this pattern.

Download Full-text

Retroviral analysis reveals the ancient origin of Kihnu native sheep in Estonia: implications for breed conservation

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-74415-z ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Eve Rannamäe ◽

Urmas Saarma ◽

Anneli Ärmpalu-Idvand ◽

Matthew D. Teasdale ◽

Camilla Speller

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Demographic History ◽

Ovis Aries ◽

Endogenous Retroviruses ◽

First Episode ◽

Shared Ancestry ◽

History Of ◽

Native Sheep ◽

Genetic Characters ◽

The Bronze Age

Abstract Native animal breeds constitute an invaluable pool of genetic resources in a changing environment. Discovering native breeds and safeguarding their genetic diversity through specific conservation programs is therefore of high importance. Endogenous retroviruses have proved to be a reliable genetic marker for studying the demographic history of sheep (Ovis aries). Previous research has revealed two migratory episodes of domesticated sheep from the Middle East to Europe. The first episode included predominantly ‘primitive populations’, while the second and most recent is hypothesised to have included sheep with markedly improved wool production. To examine whether the recently discovered Kihnu native sheep in Estonia have historically been part of the first migratory episode and to what extent they have preserved primitive genetic characters, we analysed retroviral insertions in 80 modern Kihnu sheep and 83 ancient sheep from the Bronze Age to Modern Period (850 BCE–1950 CE). We identified that the Kihnu sheep have preserved ‘primitive’, ‘Nordic’, and other ‘ancient’ retrotypes that were present both in archaeological and modern samples, confirming their shared ancestry and suggesting that contemporary Kihnu native sheep originate from the first migratory episode. However, over the course of history, there has been a gradual decrease in the frequency of primitive retrotypes. Furthermore, Kihnu sheep possessed several ‘novel’ retrotypes that were absent in archaeological individuals, but were shared with improvement breeds, suggesting recent crossing within the last two centuries. To preserve these ancient lineages, our results are being applied in the conservation program of the Kihnu Native Sheep Society.

Download Full-text

Stone Vessels and Values in the Bronze Age Mediterranean

10.1017/cbo9780511499678 ◽

2007 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Andrew Bevan

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

The Bronze Age

Download Full-text

Investigating Burnt Mounds in Clydesdale during Motorway Construction

Glasgow Archaeological Journal ◽

10.3366/gas.1998.21.21.1 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 1-28

Author(s):

John A Atkinson ◽

Camilla Dickson ◽

Jane Downes ◽

Paul Robins ◽

David Sanderson

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Research Strategy ◽

Archaeological Evidence ◽

Radiocarbon Dates ◽

Short Account ◽

And Function ◽

The Impact ◽

The Bronze Age

Summary Two small burnt mounds were excavated as part of the programme to mitigate the impact of motorway construction in the Crawford area. The excavations followed a research strategy designed to address questions of date and function. This paper surveys the various competing theories about burnt mounds and how the archaeological evidence was evaluated against those theories. Both sites produced radiocarbon dates from the Bronze Age and evidence to suggest that they were cooking places. In addition, a short account is presented of two further burnt mounds discovered during the construction of the motorway in Annandale.

Download Full-text

A Neolithic Structure and Bronze Age Activity at West Flank Road, Drumchapel, Glasgow

Scottish Archaeological Journal ◽

10.3366/saj.2003.25.2.103 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 103-128

Author(s):

Gavin Macgregor ◽

Irene Cullen ◽

Diane Alldritt ◽

Michael Donnelly ◽

Jennifer Miller ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Archaeological Research ◽

Research Division ◽

Close Proximity ◽

Archaeological Work ◽

Age Features ◽

The Bronze Age

Summary A programme of archaeological work was undertaken by Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division (GUARD) at West Flank Road, Drumchapel, in close proximity to the site of the prehistoric cemetery of Knappers. This paper considers the results of excavation of a range of negative features, including earlier Neolithic and Bronze Age pits and postholes. The earlier Neolithic features date to c. 3500–3000 BC and are interpreted as the partial remains of a subrectangular structure. The Bronze Age features may relate to ceremonial activities in the wider area. The significance of these remains is considered in relation to the site of Knappers and wider traditions during the fourth to second millennia BC.

Download Full-text