Genomes of an ancient wetland culture change part of Europe's history

Researchers analyzed DNA from 112 ancient individuals from the lowlands of the Netherlands, Belgium and western Germany and found long-lasting hunter-gatherer ancestry that later mixed with Bell Beaker groups, which spread into Britain around 2400–2500 B.C.E.

Researchers published a broad ancient-DNA study linking a distinctive population in the lowlands of northwestern Europe to later population change in Britain. The team examined genomes from human remains spanning about 8,500 to 1,700 B.C.E. from areas now in Belgium, the Netherlands and western Germany. They report that hunter-gatherer ancestry persisted in wetland and riverine zones for much longer than in many other regions of Europe. Later cultural and genetic shifts, notably involving the Bell Beaker complex, changed that regional makeup and then spread into Britain. Key findings: - DNA came from 112 individuals dated c. 8500–1700 B.C.E., recovered in what is now Belgium, the Netherlands and western Germany. - Hunter-gatherer ancestry remained dominant in the wetland, riverine and coastal lowlands for roughly 3,000 years longer than in much of Europe. - Farming reached the region around 4500 B.C.E., but the study finds only limited gene flow from early farmers into local communities, with farmer ancestry entering largely via women marrying into hunter-gatherer groups. - Corded Ware cultural influences appear in broader Europe but did not strongly infiltrate these wetland populations. - Around 2500 B.C.E., Bell Beaker-associated groups introduced steppe-related and farmer ancestry into the wetlands; that genetic mixture spread into Britain by about 2400 B.C.E. - The authors report that the incoming Bell Beaker-related ancestry became the main genetic component in Britain, replacing a large proportion (reported as about 90–100 percent) of local Neolithic ancestry. Summary: The study shifts understanding of population dynamics in northwestern Europe by identifying a long-enduring hunter-gatherer presence in wetland regions and tracing how a distinct wetland genetic mix later combined with Bell Beaker groups and expanded into Britain. Undetermined at this time.