The Neolithic and Chalcolithic Fortified Settlements of the Northernmost Eurasian Taiga

Borzunov, Viktor A.

doi:10.5876/9781646422111.c002

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 43 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In contrast to the significant number of ancient HG genomes from western Eurasia studied to date, genomic data from HGs east of the Urals have remained sparse. As noted above, these regions are characterised by an early introduction of pottery from areas further east and were inhabited by complex forager societies with permanent and sometimes fortified settlements 20,56 . Here, we substantially expand knowledge on ancient populations of this region by reporting new genomic data from 38 individuals, 28 of which date to pottery-associated HG contexts between 8,300-5,000 cal.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population genomics of postglacial western eurasia

Allentoft

Sikora

Refoyo-Martínez

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The transitions from foraging to farming and later to pastoralism in Stone Age Eurasia (c. 11-3 thousand years before present, BP) represent some of the most dramatic lifestyle changes in human evolution. We sequenced 317 genomes of primarily Mesolithic and Neolithic individuals from across Eurasia combined with radiocarbon dates, stable isotope data, and pollen records. Genome imputation and co-analysis with previously published shotgun sequencing data resulted in >1600 complete ancient genome sequences offering fine-grained resolution into the Stone Age populations. We observe that: 1) Hunter-gatherer groups were more genetically diverse than previously known, and deeply divergent between western and eastern Eurasia. 2) We identify hitherto genetically undescribed hunter-gatherers from the Middle Don region that contributed ancestry to the later Yamnaya steppe pastoralists; 3) The genetic impact of the Neolithic transition was highly distinct, east and west of a boundary zone extending from the Black Sea to the Baltic. Large-scale shifts in genetic ancestry occurred to the west of this "Great Divide", including an almost complete replacement of hunter-gatherers in Denmark, while no substantial ancestry shifts took place during the same period to the east. This difference is also reflected in genetic relatedness within the populations, decreasing substantially in the west but not in the east where it remained high until c. 4,000 BP; 4) The second major genetic transformation around 5,000 BP happened at a much faster pace with Steppe-related ancestry reaching most parts of Europe within 1,000-years. Local Neolithic farmers admixed with incoming pastoralists in eastern, western, and southern Europe whereas Scandinavia experienced another near-complete population replacement. Similar dramatic turnover-patterns are evident in western Siberia; 5) Extensive regional differences in the ancestry components involved in these early events remain visible to this day, even within countries. Neolithic farmer ancestry is highest in southern and eastern England while Steppe-related ancestry is highest in the Celtic populations of Scotland, Wales, and Cornwall (this research has been conducted using the UK Biobank resource); 6) Shifts in diet, lifestyle and environment introduced new selection pressures involving at least 21 genomic regions. Most such variants were not universally selected across populations but were only advantageous in particular ancestral backgrounds. Contrary to previous claims, we find that selection on the FADS regions, associated with fatty acid metabolism, began before the Neolithisation of Europe. Similarly, the lactase persistence allele started increasing in frequency before the expansion of Steppe-related groups into Europe and has continued to increase up to the present. Along the genetic cline separating Mesolithic hunter-gatherers from Neolithic farmers, we find significant correlations with trait associations related to skin disorders, diet and lifestyle and mental health status, suggesting marked phenotypic differences between these groups with very different lifestyles. This work provides new insights into major transformations in recent human evolution, elucidating the complex interplay between selection and admixture that shaped patterns of genetic variation in modern populations.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population genomics of postglacial western eurasia

Allentoft

Sikora

Refoyo-Martínez

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In contrast to the considerable number of ancient HG genomes from western Eurasia that have been studied so far, genomic data from HGs east of the Urals have remained sparse. These regions are characterized by an early introduction of pottery from areas further east, and were inhabited by complex forager societies with permanent and sometimes fortified settlements 20,57 . Here, we substantially expand knowledge on ancient populations of this region by reporting genomic data from 38 individuals, 28 of whom date to pottery-associated HG contexts between 8,300 and 5,000 cal.…”

Section: Hg Resilience East Of the Uralsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population genomics of post-glacial western Eurasia

Allentoft,

Sikora,

Refoyo-Martínez

et al. 2024

Nature

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Western Eurasia witnessed several large-scale human migrations during the Holocene1–5. Here, to investigate the cross-continental effects of these migrations, we shotgun-sequenced 317 genomes—mainly from the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods—from across northern and western Eurasia. These were imputed alongside published data to obtain diploid genotypes from more than 1,600 ancient humans. Our analyses revealed a ‘great divide’ genomic boundary extending from the Black Sea to the Baltic. Mesolithic hunter-gatherers were highly genetically differentiated east and west of this zone, and the effect of the neolithization was equally disparate. Large-scale ancestry shifts occurred in the west as farming was introduced, including near-total replacement of hunter-gatherers in many areas, whereas no substantial ancestry shifts happened east of the zone during the same period. Similarly, relatedness decreased in the west from the Neolithic transition onwards, whereas, east of the Urals, relatedness remained high until around 4,000 bp, consistent with the persistence of localized groups of hunter-gatherers. The boundary dissolved when Yamnaya-related ancestry spread across western Eurasia around 5,000 bp, resulting in a second major turnover that reached most parts of Europe within a 1,000-year span. The genetic origin and fate of the Yamnaya have remained elusive, but we show that hunter-gatherers from the Middle Don region contributed ancestry to them. Yamnaya groups later admixed with individuals associated with the Globular Amphora culture before expanding into Europe. Similar turnovers occurred in western Siberia, where we report new genomic data from a ‘Neolithic steppe’ cline spanning the Siberian forest steppe to Lake Baikal. These prehistoric migrations had profound and lasting effects on the genetic diversity of Eurasian populations.

show abstract

The Neolithic and Chalcolithic Fortified Settlements of the Northernmost Eurasian Taiga

Cited by 2 publications

References 43 publications

Population genomics of postglacial western eurasia

Population genomics of postglacial western eurasia

Population genomics of post-glacial western Eurasia

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About