The Beaker phenomenon and the genomic transformation of northwest Europe
Journal article
Olade, I., Brace, S., Buster, L., Allentoft, M. and et al. 2018. The Beaker phenomenon and the genomic transformation of northwest Europe. Nature. 555, pp. 190-196. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature25738
Authors | Olade, I., Brace, S., Buster, L., Allentoft, M. and et al. |
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Abstract | From around 2750 to 2500 bc, Bell Beaker pottery became widespread across western and central Europe, before it disappeared between 2200 and 1800 bc. The forces that propelled its expansion are a matter of long-standing debate, and there is support for both cultural diffusion and migration having a role in this process. Here we present genome-wide data from 400 Neolithic, Copper Age and Bronze Age Europeans, including 226 individuals associated with Beaker-complex artefacts. We detected limited genetic affinity between Beaker-complex-associated individuals from Iberia and central Europe, and thus exclude migration as an important mechanism of spread between these two regions. However, migration had a key role in the further dissemination of the Beaker complex. We document this phenomenon most clearly in Britain, where the spread of the Beaker complex introduced high levels of steppe-related ancestry and was associated with the replacement of approximately 90% of Britain’s gene pool within a few hundred years, continuing the east-to-west expansion that had brought steppe-related ancestry into central and northern Europe over the previous centuries. |
Keywords | Bell Beaker pottery; Archaeology; Genetics; Europe; Britain |
Year | 2018 |
Journal | Nature |
Journal citation | 555, pp. 190-196 |
Publisher | Springer Nature |
ISSN | 0028-0836 |
1476-4687 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1038/nature25738 |
Official URL | https://www.nature.com/articles/nature25738 |
Publication dates | |
Online | 21 Feb 2018 |
08 Mar 2018 | |
Publication process dates | |
Accepted | 04 Jan 2018 |
Deposited | 17 Jan 2022 |
Accepted author manuscript | License All rights reserved |
Output status | Published |
https://repository.canterbury.ac.uk/item/90218/the-beaker-phenomenon-and-the-genomic-transformation-of-northwest-europe
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