AI interpretationAI-generated
French ancient DNA fills a gap in the Late Neolithic to Bell Beaker transition.
This study sequenced 24 ancient genomes from France, covering 3,400–1,600 BCE, a period previously unsampled. It reveals that Late Neolithic communities were genetically diverse, with some individuals having up to 63.3% hunter-gatherer ancestry. Bell Beaker populations showed varying steppe-related ancestry. Admixture between Neolithic and Mesolithic groups dates as late as 3,800 BCE, while steppe ancestry arrived as early as 2,650 BCE. These findings highlight complex local interactions.
- Late Neolithic French communities had heterogeneous hunter-gatherer ancestries, reaching up to 63.3% in some individuals.
- Bell Beaker populations showed variable genetic contributions from steppe herders.
- Neolithic-Mesolithic admixture occurred as late as 3,800 BCE, and steppe ancestry arrived as early as 2,650 BCE.
Sample interpretation
The dataset includes 25 ancient individuals: 20 from Late Neolithic and 5 from Bell Beaker contexts. Y-chromosome haplogroups were resolved for only 2 males, both belonging to haplogroup I (I-L1287 and I-S26167). Mitochondrial DNA diversity is higher, with J1c1, H3, and X2b each found in 2 individuals, plus U5b1i, V, and J1c5. This limited Y resolution suggests paternal lineages were diverse or poorly preserved.
For genealogy enthusiasts
For ancestry enthusiasts, this study shows that even within a small region like France, ancient populations were genetically mixed. It pushes back the timeline of hunter-gatherer persistence and steppe arrival, emphasizing that local genetic heterogeneity was the norm during this transitional period.
Abstract
The transition from the Late Neolithic to the Bronze Age has witnessed important population and societal changes in western Europe.1 These include massive genomic contributions of pastoralist herders originating from the Pontic-Caspian steppes2,3 into local populations, resulting from complex interactions between collapsing hunter-gatherers and expanding farmers of Anatolian ancestry.4, 5, 6, 7, 8 This transition is documented through extensive ancient genomic data from present-day Britain,9,10 Ireland,11,12 Iberia,13 Mediterranean islands,14,15 and Germany.8 It remains, however, largely overlooked in France, where most focus has been on the Middle Neolithic (n = 63),8,9,16 with the exception of one Late Neolithic genome sequenced at 0.05× coverage.16 This leaves the key transitional period covering ∼3,400–2,700 cal. years (calibrated years) BCE genetically unsampled and thus the exact time frame of hunter-gatherer persistence and arrival of steppe migrations unknown. To remediate this, we sequenced 24 ancient human genomes from France spanning ∼3,400–1,600 cal. years BCE. This reveals Late Neolithic populations that are genetically diverse and include individuals with dark skin, hair, and eyes. We detect heterogeneous hunter-gatherer ancestries within Late Neolithic communities, reaching up to ∼63.3% in some individuals, and variable genetic contributions of steppe herders in Bell Beaker populations. We provide an estimate as late as ∼3,800 years BCE for the admixture between Neolithic and Mesolithic populations and as early as ∼2,650 years BCE for the arrival of steppe-related ancestry. The genomic heterogeneity characterized underlines the complex history of human interactions even at the local scale.