absentee thoughtlord
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Hi all,
I'm presently writing a book (which may or may not get published) about my local area. While I don't want to dwell on it too much in the text, the genetic origins of those who lived here during the Mesolithic and Neolithic - and Bronze Age, too - is hugely important. And it's giving me a headache.
I have read several different papers and pieces (including Sykes' Blood of the Isles a while ago), but my capacity to drill down and answer a couple of basic questions is limited. In effect, it all looks like a pile of letters and numbers after a couple of hours and I feel like I keep going back to the beginning!). As such, any bite-sized answers to the following would be sincerely appreciated!
My specific focus is on the south west of England, and the one thing which is obvious is the prevalence of R1B (i.e. that which is generally held to have emerged from an ice-age refuge in the Basque area of northern Spain). The questions I have are...
1. When did R1B reach the British Isles? Was it before or after R1A?
2. Are there y-DNA haplogroup or haplogroups which are more indicative of hunter-gatherers in the British Isles? Are any potentially more specific to the South West of the UK?
3. Do the disparities in relative levels of mDNA variations v y-DNA variations (specifically R1B) suggest conquest, mass migration, or something else?
Thank you in anticipation of any feedback. The more the merrier as it's always best to get a consensus / range of opinions!
I'm presently writing a book (which may or may not get published) about my local area. While I don't want to dwell on it too much in the text, the genetic origins of those who lived here during the Mesolithic and Neolithic - and Bronze Age, too - is hugely important. And it's giving me a headache.
I have read several different papers and pieces (including Sykes' Blood of the Isles a while ago), but my capacity to drill down and answer a couple of basic questions is limited. In effect, it all looks like a pile of letters and numbers after a couple of hours and I feel like I keep going back to the beginning!). As such, any bite-sized answers to the following would be sincerely appreciated!
My specific focus is on the south west of England, and the one thing which is obvious is the prevalence of R1B (i.e. that which is generally held to have emerged from an ice-age refuge in the Basque area of northern Spain). The questions I have are...
1. When did R1B reach the British Isles? Was it before or after R1A?
2. Are there y-DNA haplogroup or haplogroups which are more indicative of hunter-gatherers in the British Isles? Are any potentially more specific to the South West of the UK?
3. Do the disparities in relative levels of mDNA variations v y-DNA variations (specifically R1B) suggest conquest, mass migration, or something else?
Thank you in anticipation of any feedback. The more the merrier as it's always best to get a consensus / range of opinions!