First Farmers Led to Swift Hunter-Gatherer Extinction in Scandinavia, DNA Analysis Reveals

A recent Lund University study challenges prevailing views, revealing the rapid disappearance of the hunter-gatherer population in Scandinavia 5,900 years ago with the arrival of the first farmers.

Published in Nature, the extensive research, conducted by an international team including Lund University, employs DNA analysis of skeletons and teeth from present-day Denmark to draw novel conclusions about the impact of migration on ancient populations.

Violent Population Shifts and Genetic Blends in Neolithic Denmark

In the study, titled "100 ancient genomes show repeated population turnovers in Neolithic Denmark," researchers disclosed two significant population turnovers in Denmark over the last 7,300 years. The initial shift occurred 5,900 years ago when a new farming population, distinct in origin and appearance, displaced the existing hunter-gatherer communities in Scandinavia.

Previously perceived as a peaceful transition, this change is now suggested to involve violence and the potential introduction of new pathogens from livestock, leading to the near-elimination of the hunter-gatherer population within a few generations.

Around 4,850 years ago, a second population change unfolded as individuals with genetic ties to Yamnaya, a livestock herding group originating in southern Russia, arrived in Scandinavia, supplanting the existing farmer population.

This event, marked by potential violence and the introduction of new pathogens, involved semi-nomadic people with a lifestyle focused on steppes, animal taming, and the use of horses and carts. The settled communities in Scandinavia emerged as a blend of Yamnaya and Eastern European Neolithic people, and this genetic profile prevails in modern-day Denmark, erasing the DNA signature of the initial farmer population.

This second transition's rapid turnover left virtually no descendants from the preceding population, a pattern mirrored to some extent in Sweden. The study challenges prior notions of peaceful interactions between groups, shedding light not only on historical migration patterns but also deepening understanding of archaeological findings and palaeoecological data on vegetation changes and their implications for land use.

Anne Birgitte Nielsen, a geology researcher at Lund University, highlights that the findings enhance our understanding of heredity, providing valuable insights into disease development with potential long-term benefits for medical research.

History of Agriculture: Who Were the First Farmers?

The advent of farming by Homo sapiens marked a transformative milestone in human history, permanently altering the nomadic lifestyles practiced by all humans until then. This shift from hunter-gatherer societies led to the formation of villages, and specialized labor, and paved the way for advancements in arts and technologies.

The earliest traces of farming are found in the Fertile Crescent, encompassing present-day Iraq, Syria, and Israel. Despite its current arid state, the region, well-watered by major rivers in the past, yielded evidence of early farming practices around 11,700 years ago in places like Tell Abu Hureyra, a village on the Euphrates River banks in northern Syria.

In the Near East, agriculture, with a primary focus on growing domestic plants and animals, emerged approximately 1,000 years after initial cultivation, accompanied by the integral domestication of animals through phases of capturing, raising, limited breeding, and large-scale herding.

Contrary to earlier theories, farming independently originated in various regions, such as western Asia, eastern Asia, and the Americas, with a consistent focus on key plants like wheat or maize for carbohydrates and legumes or beans like chickpeas or soybeans for protein.

This marked a transition during the early Holocene around 12,000 years ago influenced by factors like population density and the suitability of available resources.