Abstract
BackgroundThe spread of agriculture into Europe and the ancestry of the first European farmers have been subjects of debate and controversy among geneticists, archaeologists, linguists and anthropologists. Debates have centred on the extent to which the transition was associated with the active migration of people as opposed to the diffusion of cultural practices. Recent studies have shown that patterns of human cranial shape variation can be employed as a reliable proxy for the neutral genetic relationships of human populations.Methodology/Principal FindingsHere, we employ measurements of Mesolithic (hunter-gatherers) and Neolithic (farmers) crania from Southwest Asia and Europe to test several alternative population dispersal and hunter-farmer gene-flow models. We base our alternative hypothetical models on a null evolutionary model of isolation-by-geographic and temporal distance. Partial Mantel tests were used to assess the congruence between craniometric distance and each of the geographic model matrices, while controlling for temporal distance. Our results demonstrate that the craniometric data fit a model of continuous dispersal of people (and their genes) from Southwest Asia to Europe significantly better than a null model of cultural diffusion.Conclusions/SignificanceTherefore, this study does not support the assertion that farming in Europe solely involved the adoption of technologies and ideas from Southwest Asia by indigenous Mesolithic hunter-gatherers. Moreover, the results highlight the utility of craniometric data for assessing patterns of past population dispersal and gene flow.
Highlights
The debate over the origins of agriculture in Europe has mainly centred on two demographic models
The null model reflects the degree of differentiation we would expect amongst OTUs under a model of pure cultural diffusion
Of the alternative scenarios modelled, all variants of the continuous dispersal models were significantly correlated with the craniometric data, regardless of whether the dispersals were modelled as originating in Anatolia or in the Levant, and regardless of which geographic parameter was employed to model dispersal (500, 1000 or 1500 km)
Summary
The debate over the origins of agriculture in Europe has mainly centred on two demographic models. The demic diffusion model ( known as the wave of advance) suggests a progressive dispersal of Southwest (SW) Asian Neolithic farmers into Europe [1,2,3]. This process involved region-specific and variable degrees of admixture between the incoming farmers and the local Mesolithic hunter-gatherers. [6]), while others argue that early European agriculture was developed independently by indigenous Mesolithic hunter-gatherer-forager populations with no diffusion of either knowledge or people from the core SW Asian regions [4]. Recent studies have shown that patterns of human cranial shape variation can be employed as a reliable proxy for the neutral genetic relationships of human populations
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
