Brandt et al. analysed 364 ancient mtDNA samples from the Early Neolithic (Linear Pottery culture) to the Early Bronze Age (Unetice culture), mostly around Germany, Bohemia and Poland. I believe that this is the largest study on ancient mtDNA to date. Although the article is behind a paywall, there is a 87-page PDF file and 17 Excel tables in the supplementary materials, which can be accessed for free. For once the data is clearly organised in a visual manner, which is lucky considering the number of pages.
Table S9 contains a summary of the mt-haplogroup frequencies from all the cultures tested to date, while table S10 provide an invaluable list of modern mtDNA frequencies for 73 populations in Eurasia and North Africa, most of which have several hundreds samples and some over 2000. The total number of samples is 50,688 !
The study confirms that Neolithic farmers (N1a, HV, H, V, J, T2, K, W, X) replaced the lineages of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers (U, U4, U5, U8) during the Early Neolithic (LBK, Rössen and related cultures), but that the Mesolithic lineages made a come back in Germany with the Late Neolithic, apparently through a southward expansion of the Funnelbeaker culture from Scandinavia. New lineages (I, R, T1, U2) arrived from Eastern Europe with Corded Ware culture in the Chalcolithic and the Unetice culture in the Early Bronze Age.
The second paper, by Bollongino et al. tested more ancient mtDNA from Central Europe and found a suprising number of Mesolithic U5b lineages in other sites than those that turned up Near Eastern lineages. The authors proposes the hypothesis that Mesolithic hunter-gatherers did not disappear after the arrival of Near Eastern farmers, but lived in other areas specialising freshwater fishing throughout the Neolithic.
Table S9 contains a summary of the mt-haplogroup frequencies from all the cultures tested to date, while table S10 provide an invaluable list of modern mtDNA frequencies for 73 populations in Eurasia and North Africa, most of which have several hundreds samples and some over 2000. The total number of samples is 50,688 !
The study confirms that Neolithic farmers (N1a, HV, H, V, J, T2, K, W, X) replaced the lineages of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers (U, U4, U5, U8) during the Early Neolithic (LBK, Rössen and related cultures), but that the Mesolithic lineages made a come back in Germany with the Late Neolithic, apparently through a southward expansion of the Funnelbeaker culture from Scandinavia. New lineages (I, R, T1, U2) arrived from Eastern Europe with Corded Ware culture in the Chalcolithic and the Unetice culture in the Early Bronze Age.
The second paper, by Bollongino et al. tested more ancient mtDNA from Central Europe and found a suprising number of Mesolithic U5b lineages in other sites than those that turned up Near Eastern lineages. The authors proposes the hypothesis that Mesolithic hunter-gatherers did not disappear after the arrival of Near Eastern farmers, but lived in other areas specialising freshwater fishing throughout the Neolithic.
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