Ancient DNA reveals that even during human migration, the Maghreb community preserves their culture and genes

The Neolithic Age began in Southwest Asia about 12,000 years ago. When society moved from hunting and gathering to agriculture, it marked a major change in human history. This caused migration throughout Europe, dramatically shaping the continental gene pool.

For a long time, North Africa was seen as a passive participant in this transformation. The dominant narrative suggested that the agricultural economy never took full root there.

Some studies have proposed that North African communities actively resisted agriculture, with the exception of the Nile Delta and the West Maghreb (modern Morocco). They continued hunting for land snails, wild plants and survival. They then also began herds of bred sheep, goats and cattle introduced from Southwest Asia.

Genetic studies have recently tested this reconstruction in North Africa. This has never been done in the eastern Maghreb (modern Tunisia and eastern Algeria).

As an African archaeologist, I specialize in studying ancient societies in the Mediterranean Africa and the Sahara. My focus is on how humans adapt to their environment and how they fit into the rise of food production in these regions. I recently conducted a study in the Eastern Maghreb with an international team of archaeologists, geneticists and physical anthropologists to track ancient population movements.

Our new research has just been published in Nature. The ancient genomes (complete DNA sequences) of nine individuals who lived in the eastern Maghreb 15,000 to 6,000 years ago were analyzed.

This may seem like a small sample. However, in the field of ancient DNA research, even some well-conserved genomes can provide important insights. They act as reference points for tracking genetic lineages and identifying ancestral connections.

By adding genetic evidence to broader archaeological findings, we reconstructed patterns of population continuity, interaction and change over thousands of years.

Our results were impressive. From these genomes it is clear that influence from the farmers reached North Africa from the entire Mediterranean. However, much of the genetic composition of the eastern Maghreb population remained rooted in ancient foraging heritage.

This challenges a longstanding story of the transition to North Africa and birth before and after the Neolithic period. It deepens understanding of the past and highlights the incredible complexity of human movements and cultural exchange.

As we continue to unravel the genetic heritage of our ancestors, such studies remind us of the complexity of human history. They show that the history of agriculture in the Mediterranean was not merely one of the population alternatives. Rather, it was a story of cultural exchange, adaptation and continuity.

And studying these ancient human movements is more than just an understanding of history. It also provides insights into patterns of transition and adaptation that will help you understand similar processes today.

Extraction and analysis

We worked with ancient genomes extracted from human skeletal ruins housed in museums and heritage facilities collections. They came from excavations at four sites: Afalou Bou Rhummel, Djebba, Doukanet el Khoutifa and Shm-1 (Hergla).

The specimens were well preserved, so we chose specimens, but this is not always the case with ancient DNA.

The analysis found that some of the sampled individuals owned the ancestors of European farmers around 7,000 years ago. Europeans contributed several genes to the region, but less than 20% per individual.

This is a modest genetic effect at some sites compared to the ancient Western Maghreb population, where European peasant ancestors can reach 80%.

Our findings suggest that the food-producing economy was introduced more slowly, more extensively, into the larger Maghreb, rather than a large-scale alternative to the population (as we see in Europe). Changes have been caused by sporadic migration, cultural mixing, and knowledge spread.

Beyond the sea and the land

One of the most interesting findings was the genetic traces of European hunter-gatherer people discovered in one individual at Djebba in Tunisia. This suggests that early European and North African populations can interact via sailor routes across the Sicily Channel.

Researchers have long known that cultural exchange took place in the Mediterranean. This can be seen from the expansion of technologies such as so-called pressure technology. This is a way to shape stone tools by applying careful force with pointy implementations rather than directly hitting the stone.

The discovery of obsidian (volcanic glass) in Tunisia from Pantereria, a small island in the Sicily Strait, strengthens the connection between the north and south coasts of the Mediterranean.

Prehistoric wooden artifacts are rarely preserved over time. This may explain the lack of boat ruins from this period in North Africa. However, dugout canoes from a similar era found in central Italy (Lake Bracciano) suggest that sailor skills are well established around the Mediterranean. Although there is no direct evidence to link these particular canoes to the link between Europe and North Africa, it supports the idea that navigation is within the scope of technical capabilities of the time.

Our study is the first time that the connection proposed by this existing evidence has been genetically demonstrated.

Another exciting aspect of our study is the identification of early Levantin (modern Southwest Asia)-related ancestors in the eastern Maghreb. This was detected in human remains from around 6,800 years ago. This is a genetic signature that postpone the arrival of European peasant ancestors by centuries. It probably reflects the movements of people associated with early idyllicism that introduced domesticated animals such as sheep and goats into the area.

Supporting archaeological evidence

It is particularly rewarding to see genetic evidence consistent with archaeological records. This underscores the value of interdisciplinary research in uncovering human dynamics in the past.

Overall, they are areas of strong genetic and cultural resilience consistent with archaeological evidence.

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