Ancient genome-wide DNA from France highlights the complexity of interactions between Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and Neolithic farmers

Rivollat, Maïté; Jeong, Choongwon; Schiffels, Stephan; Küçükkalıpçı, İşil; Pemonge, Marie-Hélène; Alt, Kurt W.; Binder, Didier; Friederich, Susanne; Ghesquière, Emmanuel; Gronenborn, Detlef; Laporte, Luc; Lefranc, Philippe; Meller, Harald; Réveillas, Hélène; Rosenstock, Eva; Rottier, Stéphane; Scarre, Chris; Soler, Ludovic; Wahl, Joachim; Krause, Johannes; Deguilloux, Marie-France; Haak, Wolfgang

Abstract

Starting from 12,000 years ago in the Middle East, the Neolithic lifestyle spread across Europe via separate continental and Mediterranean routes. Genomes from early European farmers have shown a clear Near Eastern/Anatolian genetic affinity with limited contribution from hunter-gatherers. However, no genomic data are available from modern-day France, where both routes converged, as evidenced by a mosaic cultural pattern. Here, we present genome-wide data from 101 individuals from 12 sites covering today’s France and Germany from the Mesolithic (N = 3) to the Neolithic (N = 98) (7000–3000 BCE). Using the genetic substructure observed in European hunter-gatherers, we characterize diverse patterns of admixture in different regions, consistent with both routes of expansion. Early western European farmers show a higher proportion of distinctly western hunter-gatherer ancestry compared to central/southeastern farmers. Our data highlight the complexity of the biological interactions during the Neolithic expansion by revealing major regional variations.

Citation

Rivollat, M., Jeong, C., Schiffels, S., Küçükkalıpçı, İ., Pemonge, M., Alt, K. W., …Haak, W. (2020). Ancient genome-wide DNA from France highlights the complexity of interactions between Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and Neolithic farmers. Science Advances, 6(22), Article eaaz5344. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaz5344

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 12, 2020
• Online Publication Date: May 29, 2020
• Publication Date: May 27, 2020
• Deposit Date: Mar 31, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 2, 2020
• Journal: Science Advances
• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 6
• Issue: 22
• Article Number: eaaz5344
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaz5344