Ancient DNA Tells Tales of Humans' Migrant History

Popular Archaeology ^ | Wednesday, February 21, 2018 | editors Vol. 29 Winter 2018

[SunkenCiv]

Reich and a cast of dozens of collaborators chart the spread of an ancient culture known by its stylized bell-shaped pots, the so-called Bell Beaker phenomenon. This culture first spread between Iberia and central Europe beginning about 4,700 years ago. By analyzing DNA from several hundred samples of human bones, Reich's team shows that only the ideas -- not the people who originated them -- made the move initially. That's because the genes of the Iberian population remain distinct from those of the central Europeans who adopted the characteristic pots and other artifacts.

But the story changes when the Bell Beaker culture expanded to Britain after 4,500 years ago. Then, it was brought by migrants who almost completely supplanted the island's existing inhabitants -- the mysterious people who had built Stonehenge -- within a few hundred years. "There was a sudden change in the population of Britain," says Reich. "It was an almost complete replacement."

[gleeaikin]

If the ancient British population replacement was mostly by males, wouldn’t there still be a significant amount of mitochondrial DNA from the earlier population. Also was the almost total replacement true for Wales, Ireland and Scotland?

[Rurudyne]

I was just going by what the article said.

At any rate, yeah, I would suspect that you’d be right.

[SunkenCiv]

I'm not too sure we should rely very much on DNA studies in the first place, but in this case, the neolithic samples they're working with must be very small in number. That doesn't answer your mtDNA question, apologies.