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| The researchers have conducted DNA analyses of the skeletons from a burial sites in France and found traces of several different diseases. Image Credit: Scientific Frontline |
Scientific Frontline: Extended "At a Glance" Summary: Stone Age Population Collapse and Turnover in France
The Core Concept: Genetic analyses of ancient skeletons from a megalithic tomb in France reveal a dramatic population collapse during the "Neolithic decline" around 3000 BC, which was subsequently followed by the immigration and genetic replacement by a distinct population from southern Europe.
Key Distinction/Mechanism: Unlike traditional models that often trace demographic shifts through artifacts alone, this study utilizes whole-genome DNA sequencing to prove a complete genetic break between two chronological groups at the same site. It demonstrates that the decline was driven by a complex matrix of diseases and environmental stress, rather than a single pathogen, resulting in a total replacement of the local population rather than genetic continuity.
Origin/History: The research centers on a large megalithic tomb near Bury, France, used between 3200 and 2450 BC. Genetic analyses of 132 individuals revealed that the population collapse and subsequent turnover occurred around 3000 BC, a period corresponding with the broader European "Neolithic decline."
Major Frameworks/Components:
- Genetic Replacement: Evidence of a stark genetic break, showing the earlier demographic resembled Stone Age farming populations from northern France and Germany, while the later group showed strong genetic links to southern France and the Iberian Peninsula.
- Pathogen Screening: The detection of ancient pathogens preserved in bone, including the plague bacterium (Yersinia pestis) and louse-borne relapsing fever (Borrelia recurrentis).
- Demographic Crisis Markers: Archaeological skeletal analysis indicating unusually high mortality rates in the earlier burial phase, specifically among children and young people.
- Social Organization Shifts: A documented transition in burial practices from tightly knit, multigenerational extended families to highly selective burials dominated by a single male lineage.
Branch of Science: Archaeogenetics, Archaeology, Paleopathology, Evolutionary Biology, and Biological Anthropology.
Future Application: The advanced genomic pathogen-screening methods utilized in this study can be applied to other ancient burial sites globally to map historical disease outbreaks, track complex human migration patterns, and model how concurrent environmental and biological stressors precipitate demographic collapses.
Why It Matters: This research fundamentally reshapes the understanding of the Neolithic decline, proving it was a widespread, catastrophic event across northern and western Europe. Furthermore, it directly correlates the cessation of megalithic monument construction across the continent with the outright disappearance of the specific populations that built them.
DNA analyses of ancient skeletons show that a Stone Age population in present-day France collapsed around 5,000 years ago and was replaced by people migrating from southern Europe, according to a new international study.
The researchers have conducted DNA analyses of the skeletons from a burial site like this one in France and found traces of several different diseases. Photo: Getty Images / Michal Boubin
An international research team led by the University of Copenhagen has revealed that one of France's largest Stone Age burial sites contains traces of a significant population collapse – and subsequent immigration from southern Europe. The find redefines the understanding of the so-called 'Neolithic decline', a period when large parts of Northern Europe's population suddenly declined.
The research is based on genetic analyses of 132 individuals buried in a large megalithic tomb near Bury, about 50 kilometers north of Paris. The site was used during two distinct periods separated by a population decline around 3000 BC.
Researchers found that the two groups buried before and after the decline were not genetically related, pointing to a major population turnover.
“We see a clear genetic break between the two periods,” said Frederik Valeur Seersholm, assistant professor at the Globe Institute at the University of Copenhagen and one of the lead authors of the study.
“The earlier group resembles Stone Age farming populations from northern France and Germany, while the latter group shows strong genetic links to southern France and the Iberian Peninsula.”
The findings suggest a sharp reduction in the local population followed by the arrival of new groups from the south.
Disease and high mortality
Using a DNA method that analyses all genetic material preserved in bone, the researchers detected traces of ancient pathogens, including the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis and louse-borne relapsing fever caused by Borrelia recurrentis.
“We can confirm that plague was present, but the evidence does not support it as the sole cause of the population collapse,” said Martin Sikora, associate professor at the University of Copenhagen and senior author of the study. “The decline was likely driven by a combination of disease, environmental stress and other disruptive events.”
Archaeological analysis of the skeletal remains shows unusually high mortality in the earlier burial phase, particularly among children and young people.
“The demographic pattern is a strong indicator of crisis,” said Laure Salanova, research director at France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).
Shift in social organization
The DNA data also reaffirm a marked change in social structure.
In the earlier phase, multiple generations from the same extended families were buried together, suggesting tightly knit communities. In the later phase, burials were more selective and dominated by a single male lineage, pointing to a different form of organization.
“This indicates that the population change was accompanied by a shift in how society was structured,” Seersholm said.
A wider European pattern
The findings add to growing evidence that the so-called Neolithic decline affected much of northern and western Europe, not only Scandinavia and northern Germany.
The study also offers a possible explanation for why the construction of megalithic tombs and other large stone monuments ended across Europe around the same time.
“We now see that the end of these monumental constructions coincides with the disappearance of the population that built them,” Seersholm said.
Published in journal: Nature Ecology & Evolution
Title: Population discontinuity in the Paris Basin linked to evidence of the Neolithic decline
Authors: Frederik V. Seersholm, Abigail Ramsøe, Jialu Cao, Philippe Chambon, Karl-Göran Sjögren, Hugh McColl, Fabrice Demeter, Charleen Gaunitz, Lasse Vinner, Jesper Stenderup, Gabriele Scorrano, Ralph Fyfe, T. Douglas Price, Morten Fischer Mortensen, Sascha Krüger, Torben Dehn, Svend Illum Hansen, Kristine Vesterdorf, Thorfinn Sand Korneliussen, Morten E. Allentoft, Kristian Kristiansen, Laure Salanova, Eske Willerslev & Martin Sikora
Source/Credit: University of Copenhagen
Reference Number: arch042026_01