Dynamic history of the Central Plain and Haidai region inferred from late Neolithic to Iron Age ancient human genomes

AI interpretationAI-generated

New genomes trace Central Plain and Haidai population shifts from Longshan to Iron Age.

This study adds 31 ancient genomes from Shandong and the Central Plain, spanning late Neolithic Longshan to Iron Age. It reveals population structure during Longshan, genetic stability in the Central Plain through Erlitou, and relative homogeneity between the Central Plain and Shandong. Rice farming increased in both regions, but rice-farmer-related gene flow did not appear as a distinct cluster in Yuzhuang or published Shandong groups.

• Late Neolithic Longshan period shows population structure in both Shandong and the Central Plain.
• Rice farming increased significantly in the middle and lower Yellow River during Longshan, but rice-farmer-related gene flow did not form distinct clusters in Yuzhuang or published Shandong groups.
• Bronze Age Erlitou genomes confirm genetic stability in the Central Plain and relative genetic homogeneity between the Central Plain and Shandong.

Sample interpretation

The 31 new samples come from five sites: Dinggong in Shandong (11), Wadian (8), Wangchenggang (7), Yuzhuang (3) in Henan, and Chengziya in Shandong (2). Cultures include lower Yellow River Dinggong Longshan (6), middle Yellow River Wangchenggang Erlitou (4), Wadian Longshan (3), Yuzhuang Longshan (3), Yueshi (1), and lower Yellow River Dinggong Han (1). Y haplogroups resolved for 14 samples, with N-Y137556 (2) and various O lineages; mtDNA includes M8 (2) and others.

For genealogy enthusiasts

For ancestry enthusiasts, this study shows that the Central Plain and Shandong had complex but connected population histories. Longshan structure, Erlitou stability, and regional homogeneity help interpret your own Y and mtDNA results in a broader Yellow River context.