DNA Study of China’s First Farmers Reveals Population Movements

Archaeology Magazine ^ | October 13, 2025 | editors / unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

According to a statement released by Peking University, researchers led by Huang Yani and Pang Yuhong of Peking University analyzed the complete genomes of 58 individuals whose remains were recovered from central China's Baligang site. This Neolithic site is situated between the Yellow River basin to the north, where early farmers grew millet, and the Yangtze River basin to the south, where people planted rice. The DNA study suggests that in the early Neolithic period, the Baligang population comprised a mix of northern and southern East Asian ancestry. Then, some 4,200 years ago, there was an increase in people bearing southern ancestry living in the Baligang region. The researchers think that rice farmers from the Yangtze River basin may have migrated northward in response to a known global climate event. Not all changes in genetic makeup coincided with changing pottery styles or methods of farming, however, indicating that cultural innovations sometimes spread without major changes in the population. Additionally, the scientists mapped the genomes of 75 of the 90 individuals whose remains were discovered in a mass grave in the Baligang region. All of the men in the group shared the same Y-chromosome lineage, while the women were found to have come from diverse maternal lineages. This suggests that women traveled to join other groups, and men remained in their places of birth. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Nature Communications. For more on Neolithic China, go to "Neolithic City of Shimao," one of ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of the Decade.

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TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: agriculture; ancientautopsies; animalhusbandry; china; dietandcuisine; dna; genealogy; godsgravesglyphs; helixmakemineadouble; rice

[SunkenCiv]

Ancient DNA Reveals Prehistoric Connections and a Patrilineal Society in Early China

Fig. 1: Geographic placement and chronology of Baligang subjects

[SunkenCiv]

[nickcarraway]

So, this is The Great Leap Forward I’ve heard so much about

[UnwashedPeasant]

A mass grave with lots of intact DNA from 4000+ years ago. I wonder if there was risk of releasing some plague disease.

[Jonty30]

Like the Zombiecalypse?

[SunkenCiv]

Typhus can be a risk in archaeology, particularly since a mass of information is generally most commonly found in their refuse piles.

[Candor7]

All of the men in the group shared the same Y-chromosome lineage, while the women were found to have come from diverse maternal lineages. This suggests that women travelled to join other groups........>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Proving that the worlds oldest profession had a disproportionate impact on the future of humanity.

Study Reveals Ancient Matrilineal Society in Neolithic China

"A recent study published in the journal Nature has unveiled a fascinating insight into a 4,500-year-old Neolithic society located in what is now eastern China, revealing that women played a central role within its social structure. Genetic analyses performed on skeletons unearthed at the Fujia site indicate the existence of a matrilineal system — a rarity in prehistoric East Asia — that likely endured for at least ten generations during the late Neolithic period. The study centers on the Fujia settlement, situated along the Yi-Luo River Basin. Excavations at the site have revealed over 500 burials across two distinct cemeteries adjacent to an ancient residential area, with burial dates ranging from 2750 to 2500 BCE. Researchers focused their genetic investigations on 60 individuals, analyzing DNA from both cemeteries to uncover insights about social organization. A key finding emerged from the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data: all individuals from the northern cemetery shared a common maternal lineage. In comparison, the southern cemetery showed a separate maternal lineage prevalent among the majority of its occupants. Conversely, Y-chromosome data, inherited from fathers, revealed considerable diversity. This dichotomy suggests that women served as a consistent thread through generations, serving as social anchors, while men descended from varied paternal backgrounds."

[zeestephen]

Re: "Discovered in a mass grave..."

Mass Grave = Mass Murder?

The Chinese Communist Party has a LONG heritage.