Researchers from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam contributed through isotope analysis that provides insight into individual life histories and mobility.
The international research team analyzed skeletal remains of 112 individuals from the Netherlands, Belgium, and northwestern Germany, dating between 10,500 and 3,700 years ago. Genetic data for 44 individuals had not previously been available. By combining genetic analysis with archaeological and geochemical techniques, a more detailed picture emerges of migration, cultural change, and social interaction in prehistory. The research was published in the leading journal Nature.
VU researchers reconstruct individual lives
Earth scientist Lisette Kootker used isotope analysis to investigate where individuals lived during their youth. This method makes it possible to reconstruct mobility and places of residence during the first sixteen years of life.
Kootker: “These isotope data are crucial for better interpreting genetic results. They show how people actually lived, migrated, and interacted with other groups. The research therefore contributes to a broader social and historical interpretation of genetic data: not only who people were genetically, but also how they moved and how societies changed.”
Less mixing than expected between hunter-gatherers and farmers
One of the most striking results is that early farmers and local hunter-gatherers in the Rhine–Meuse region mixed genetically less than elsewhere in Europe. While in many places farmers with a so-called Anatolian genetic profile quickly became dominant, strong genetic continuity with hunter-gatherer populations persisted in this region for a long time.
The limited genetic influence of farmers appears to have occurred mainly through women, possibly because they introduced new knowledge about agriculture and pottery production. This confirms earlier archaeological indications that communities in wet coastal and riverine landscapes transitioned fully to farming relatively late.
Distinct development with the arrival of the Single Grave Culture
A later migration wave around 3000 BCE also shows a different pattern in the Rhine–Meuse region compared with broader European trends. Elsewhere, so-called steppe DNA spread rapidly with the arrival of the Single Grave or Corded Ware culture. However, this genetic profile is barely present in the analyzed skeletons from the western Netherlands. This suggests that local groups adopted cultural elements, such as pottery traditions, while remaining relatively genetically autonomous.
Major change during the Bell Beaker period
Only around 2500 BCE, during the Bell Beaker period, does a clear genetic shift become visible. Steppe-related DNA then appears in all studied individuals. It remains unclear whether this change occurred gradually or was the result of a rapid migration wave.
Based on genetic comparisons, the researchers also conclude that the Rhine–Meuse region may have been an important source area for the spread of the Bell Beaker culture to regions including the United Kingdom.
New insights into mobility and European networks
Kinship analyses show that prehistoric communities were strongly connected across long distances. In addition to regional family ties, genetic relationships were found with individuals from Poland, Estonia, and the United Kingdom, among others. These findings support the image of a dynamic society with intensive mobility and extensive European networks.
A new perspective on identity and migration
According to the researchers, the results contribute to a more nuanced understanding of migration and cultural change in the past. They show that cultural innovation and genetic change do not always go hand in hand: societies can adopt new ideas without large-scale population replacement. The combination of genetics, isotope analysis, and archaeology therefore provides a strong model for future research into human history and identity.