![]() ![]() This process revealed the solution to the mystery. This made it possible to rapidly survey large numbers of skeletons from all across Europe and Eurasia. Instead of sequencing the entire genome from a very small number of well preserved skeletons, we analysed 400,000 small genetic markers right across the genome. We have finally been able to identify the mystery culprit, using a clever new system invented by our colleagues at Harvard University. Apart from these two groups, the genomic signals clearly showed that a third -– previously unsuspected – large contribution had been made sometime before the Iron Age, around 2,000 years ago. Ard Hesselink/Flickr, CC BY-NC Wheeling across Europeīut there was still a major outstanding mystery. Perhaps not so far from their ancestors as they seem. But the genetics show that within a few thousand years they had returned, and significant amounts of hunter-gatherer genomic DNA was mixed in with the farmers 7,000 to 5,000 years ago across many parts of Europe. The genetic results are clear: farming was introduced widely across Europe in one or two rapid waves around 8,000 years ago by populations from the Near East -– effectively the very first skilled migrants.Īt first the original hunter-gatherer populations appear to have retreated to the fringes of Europe: to Britain, Scandinavia and Finland. The first big issue was whether the first farmers in Europe were hunter-gatherers who had learnt farming techniques from neighbours in southeast Europe, or did they instead come from the Near East, where farming was invented. The genetic results have answered a number of contentious and long-standing questions in European history. It also reveals the mysterious source for the Indo-European languages. This event saw the introduction of two very significant new technologies to western Europe: domestic horses and the wheel. These nomads appear to have “invaded” central Europe in a previously unknown wave during the early Bronze Age (about 4,500 years ago). What we have found is that, in addition to the original European hunter-gatherers and a heavy dose of Near Eastern farmers, we can now add a third major population: steppe pastoralists. Haak modern series#The genetic results paint a fascinating picture, and were published in a recent series of papers in Nature and Science. Now we have another layer of information to help us reveal the history of European peoples: DNA sequencing.Īlong with our colleagues, we have been using genome sequencing technology to analyse the vast array of ancient skeletons recovered from across Europe, ranging from the original hunter-gatherer inhabitants to the first farmers who appear around 8,000 years ago, and right up to the early Bronze Age 3,500 years ago. But it’s also quite unclear how the languages spread to their present regions. ![]() There is the well known Indo-European language tree – ranging from Hindi to Russian to Spanish. ![]() However, it hasn’t been clear whether there is a genetic basis for these group boundaries or whether they’re just cultural.Īnother line of evidence to illuminate how various groups are related comes from their languages. copper, bronze and iron) to the recent adventures of the Romans, Vandals, Huns and Vikings.ĭistinctive types of pottery and cultural practices associated with burials and settlements have been used to group the ancient populations into individual “archaeological cultures”. One way of answering these questions comes from digging up relics of the past.Įurope has a rich archaeological record, ranging from periods well before the famous metal ages (i.e. But how did they all get there? And how are they related? Europe is famously tesselated, with different cultural and language groups clustering in different regions. ![]()
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