The Neolithic transition in Europe: archaeological models and genetic evidence

• Main Author: Martin Richards
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete Univerze v Ljubljani (Ljubljana University Press, Faculty of Arts) 2003-01-01
• Series: Documenta Praehistorica
• Subjects: Neolithic farmers; Mesolithic foragers; mitochondrial DNA; Y chromosome; phylogeography
• Online Access: https://revije.ff.uni-lj.si/DocumentaPraehistorica/article/view/2202

The major pattern in the European gene pool is a southeast-northwest frequency gradient of classic genetic markers such as blood groups, which population geneticists initially attributed to the demographic impact of Neolithic farmers dispersing from the Near East. Molecular genetics has enriched this picture, with analyses of mitochondrial DNA and the Y chromosome allowing a more detailed exploration of alternative models for the spread of the Neolithic into Europe. This paper considers a range of possible models in the light of the detailed information now emerging from genetic studies.