The neolithic transition and the genetics of populations in Europe

Pleistocene environmental dynamics recorded in the loess of the middle and lower Danube basin

Detailed population data were obtained on the distribution of novel biallelic markers that finely dissect the human Y-chromosome haplogroup E-M78. Among 6,501 Y chromosomes sampled in 81 human populations worldwide, we found 517 E-M78 chromosomes and assigned them to 10 subhaplogroups. Eleven microsatellite loci were used to further evaluate subhaplogroup internal diversification. The geographic and quantitative analyses of haplogroup and microsatellite diversity is strongly suggestive of a northeastern African origin of E-M78, with a corridor for bidirectional migrations between northeastern and eastern Africa (at least 2 episodes between 23.9-17.3 ky and 18.0-5.9 ky ago), trans-Mediterranean migrations directly from northern Africa to Europe (mainly in the last 13.0 ky), and flow from northeastern Africa to western Asia between 20.0 and 6.8 ky ago. A single clade within E-M78 (E-V13) highlights a range expansion in the Bronze Age of southeastern Europe, which is also detected by haplogroup J-M12. Phylogeography pattern of molecular radiation and coalescence estimates for both haplogroups are similar and reveal that the genetic landscape of this region is, to a large extent, the consequence of a recent population growth in situ rather than the result of a mere flow of western Asian migrants in the early Neolithic. Our results not only provide a refinement of previous evolutionary hypotheses but also well-defined time frames for past human movements both in northern/eastern Africa and western Eurasia.

/pdf/tracing-past-human-male-movements-in-northern-eastern-africa-2wyqesb0pi.pdf

Tracing past human male movements in northern/eastern Africa and western Eurasia: new clues from Y-chromosomal haplogroups E-M78 and J-M12.

Detection of diffusion and contact zones of early farming in Europe from the space-time distribution of 14C dates

Neolithic agriculture on the European western frontier: the boom and bust of early farming in Ireland

http://www.mas.ncl.ac.uk/~nas13/AS/2006JAS_waterways.pdf

The role of waterways in the spread of the Neolithic

http://www.mas.ncl.ac.uk/~nas13/out/NEST/Deliverables/Davison_QI.pdf

Multiple sources of the European Neolithic: Mathematical modelling constrained by radiocarbon dates

We present a mathematical model, based on a compilation of radiocarbon dates, of the transition to the Neolithic, from about 7000 to 4000 BC in Europe. With the arrival of the Neolithic, hunting and food gathering gave way to agriculture and stock breeding in many parts of Europe; pottery-making spread into even broader areas. We use a population dynamics model to suggest the presence of two waves of advance, one from the Near East, and another through Eastern Europe. Thus, we provide a quantitative framework in which a unified interpretation of the Western and Eastern Neolithic can be developed.

/pdf/a-pan-european-model-of-the-neolithic-1hu7zufyj3.pdf

A pan-European model of the Neolithic

Newly available radiocarbon dates show the early signs of pottery-making in the North Caspian area, the Mid- dle-Lower Volga, and the Lower Don at 8-7 kyr cal BC. Stable settlements, as indicated by "coeval subsamples," are recog- nized in the Middle-Lower Volga (Yelshanian) at 6.8 kyr cal BC and the Caspian Lowland at about 6 kyr cal BC. The ages of the Strumel-Gostyatin, Surskian, and Bug-Dniesterian sites are in the range of 6.6-4.5 kyr BC, overlapping with early farming entities (StarEevo-Koros-Cri∫ and Linear Pottery), whose influence is perceptible in archaeological materials. Likewise, the 14C-dated pollen data show that the spread of early pottery-making coincided with increased precipitation throughout the for- est-steppe area.

/pdf/the-spread-of-the-neolithic-in-the-south-east-european-plain-4hf7nvu5xu.pdf

The Spread of the Neolithic in the South East European Plain: Radiocarbon Chronology, Subsistence, and Environment

The causes and implications of the regional variations in the spread of the incipient agriculture in Europe remain poorly understood. We apply population dynamics models to study the dispersal of the Neolithic in Europe from a localized area in the Near East, solving the two-dimensional reaction-diffusion equation on a spherical surface. We focus on the role of major river paths and coastlines in the advance of farming to model the rapid advances of the Linear Pottery (LBK) and the Impressed Ware traditions along the Danube-Rhine corridor and the Mediterranean coastline respectively. We argue that the random walk of individuals, which results in diffusion of the population, can be anisotropic in those areas. The standard reaction-diffusion equation is thus supplemented with advection-like terms confined to the proximity of major rivers and coastlines. The model allows for the spatial variation in both the human mobility (diffusivity) and the carrying capacity of landscapes, reflecting the local altitude and latitude. This approach can easily be generalised to include other environmental factors, such as the bioproductivity of landscapes. Our model successfully accounts for the regional variations in the spread of the Neolithic, consistent with the radiocarbon dated data, and reproduces a time delay in the spread of farming to the Eastern Europe and Scandinavia.

Kate Davison

Papers

The role of waterways in the spread of the Neolithic

Multiple sources of the European Neolithic: Mathematical modelling constrained by radiocarbon dates

A pan-European model of the Neolithic

The Spread of the Neolithic in the South East European Plain: Radiocarbon Chronology, Subsistence, and Environment

Environmental effects on the spread of the Neolithic