• About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Donation
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Archaeology News
  • Home
  • News
    • Archaeology
    • Anthropology
    • Paleontology
  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • VR Tours
  • Quiz & Game
  • Download
  • Encyclopedia
  • Forum
Archaeology News
No Result
View All Result
Home News Anthropology

Scandinavia’s early farmers slaughtered the hunter-gatherer population 5,900 years ago

by Dario Radley
February 9, 2024

A recent study conducted by Lund University in Sweden challenges previously held beliefs regarding the transition from hunter-gatherer to agricultural societies in Scandinavia.

Scandinavia’s early farmers slaughtered the hunter-gatherer population 5,900 years ago
Reconstruction of a Scandinavian Hunter-Gatherer by Oscar Nilsson, Trelleborgs Museum. Credit: Ylwa Moritz, Wikimedia Commons

Published in the journal Nature, the research, which involved an international team of scientists, utilized DNA analysis of skeletons and teeth dating back 7,300 years found in present-day Denmark. Contrary to prior assumptions, the study reveals not one but two significant population turnovers occurred in the region, reshaping the genetic landscape and rewriting the history of ancient migrations.

The first major shift occurred approximately 5,900 years ago with the arrival of the first farmers in Scandinavia. Previous narratives portrayed this transition as peaceful, but the study suggests otherwise. Anne Birgitte Nielsen, a lead researcher at Lund University, notes, “This transition has previously been presented as peaceful. However, our study indicates the opposite.” The farmers, originating from Anatolia, drove out the indigenous hunter-gatherer populations through a combination of violence and the introduction of new pathogens from their livestock. Within a few generations, the hunter-gatherer population dwindled significantly, marking a rapid and almost complete population replacement.

Approximately 1,000 years later, around 4,850 years ago, another significant migration event occurred. This time, a pastoralist group known as the Yamnaya people, originating from southern Russia, migrated to Scandinavia, bringing about yet another population turnover. Like the first farmers, the Yamnaya people replaced the existing population through violence and the transmission of new pathogens. These semi-nomadic herders, known for their large physical stature, domesticated livestock, and adept use of horses and carts, mixed with the local populations of Neolithic farmers and Eastern European peoples, further altering the genetic makeup of the region.

Nielsen said: “Once again there was a rapid population turnover, with virtually no descendants from the predecessors.” This pattern of abrupt demographic shifts challenges previous theories of peaceful coexistence and intermingling between groups.

RelatedStories

Satellite images reveal 76 ancient hunting traps in Chile, uncovering millennia of survival in the Andes

Satellite images reveal 76 ancient hunting traps in Chile, uncovering millennia of survival in the Andes

October 13, 2025
Ancient lakes in the Gobi Desert supported human life 8,000 years ago

Ancient lakes in the Gobi Desert supported human life 8,000 years ago

October 4, 2025

The study’s findings not only provide insights into ancient population dynamics but also enhance understanding of archaeological and paleoecological data, such as shifts in vegetation and land use over time. By analyzing genetic data alongside proxies for diet, mobility, and vegetation cover, researchers were able to discern parallel shifts in genotype, phenotype, diet, and land use during these major demographic events. Moreover, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of human heredity and its implications for medical research.

In addition to Lund University, the study involved collaboration with around 40 European, American, and Australian higher education institutions and organizations.

More information: Allentoft, M.E., Sikora, M., Fischer, A. et al. (2024). 100 ancient genomes show repeated population turnovers in Neolithic Denmark. Nature 625, 329–337. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06862-3
Share4Tweet3Share1ShareSend

You May Also Like...

Roman hospital transformed into Byzantine church unearthed in ancient city of Kaunos
Archaeology

Roman hospital transformed into Byzantine church unearthed in ancient city of Kaunos

October 14, 2025
Satellite images reveal 76 ancient hunting traps in Chile, uncovering millennia of survival in the Andes
Archaeology

Satellite images reveal 76 ancient hunting traps in Chile, uncovering millennia of survival in the Andes

October 13, 2025
Archaeologists discover one of Egypt’s largest New Kingdom fortresses in North Sinai
Archaeology

Archaeologists discover one of Egypt’s largest New Kingdom fortresses in North Sinai

October 12, 2025
Psychedelic beer may have helped the Wari unite outsiders and build their pre-Inca empire in Peru
Archaeology

Psychedelic beer may have helped the Wari unite outsiders and build their pre-Inca empire in Peru

October 12, 2025
Massive medieval silver hoard of up to 20,000 coins and jewelry unearthed near Stockholm
Archaeology

Massive medieval silver hoard of up to 20,000 coins and jewelry unearthed near Stockholm

October 11, 2025
Elite Bronze Age burial complex unearthed at Amarna-age port
Anthropology

Elite Bronze Age burial complex unearthed at Amarna-age port

October 11, 2025

Follow us


Instagram
245K

Facebook
116K

Threads
44K

LinkedIn
13K

Twitter
6K

YouTube
1K
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Shipwreck Salvage. Credit: rawpixel.com / Public Domain

2,000-year-old shipwreck discovered off Turkish coast with remarkably preserved stacked ceramics

July 2, 2025
Viking age DNA reveals 9,000-year-old HIV-resistant gene originating near the Black Sea

Viking age DNA reveals 9,000-year-old HIV-resistant gene originating near the Black Sea

May 18, 2025
Complete copy of the Canopus Decree unearthed in Egypt after 150 years

Complete copy of the Canopus Decree unearthed in Egypt after 150 years

September 13, 2025
Mystery of Armenia’s 6,000-year-old dragon stones solved

Mystery of Armenia’s 6,000-year-old dragon stones solved

September 23, 2025
Moses may be named in ancient Egyptian mine inscriptions, sparking debate over earliest biblical references

Moses may be named in ancient Egyptian mine inscriptions, sparking debate over earliest biblical references

July 31, 2025
Moses may be named in ancient Egyptian mine inscriptions, sparking debate over earliest biblical references

Moses may be named in ancient Egyptian mine inscriptions, sparking debate over earliest biblical references

$1 million prize offered to decipher 5,300-year-old Indus Valley script

$1 million prize offered to decipher 5,300-year-old Indus Valley script

3D analysis reveals Shroud of Turin image likely came from sculpture, not Jesus’ body

3D analysis reveals Shroud of Turin image likely came from sculpture, not Jesus’ body

Oldest ever genetic data from a human relative found in 2-million-year-old fossilized teeth

Oldest ever genetic data from a human relative found in 2-million-year-old fossilized teeth

Exceptionally large Roman shoes discovered at Magna fort near Hadrian’s Wall

Exceptionally large Roman shoes discovered at Magna fort near Hadrian’s Wall

Roman hospital transformed into Byzantine church unearthed in ancient city of Kaunos

Roman hospital transformed into Byzantine church unearthed in ancient city of Kaunos

October 14, 2025
Satellite images reveal 76 ancient hunting traps in Chile, uncovering millennia of survival in the Andes

Satellite images reveal 76 ancient hunting traps in Chile, uncovering millennia of survival in the Andes

October 13, 2025
Archaeologists discover one of Egypt’s largest New Kingdom fortresses in North Sinai

Archaeologists discover one of Egypt’s largest New Kingdom fortresses in North Sinai

October 12, 2025
Psychedelic beer may have helped the Wari unite outsiders and build their pre-Inca empire in Peru

Psychedelic beer may have helped the Wari unite outsiders and build their pre-Inca empire in Peru

October 12, 2025
Massive medieval silver hoard of up to 20,000 coins and jewelry unearthed near Stockholm

Massive medieval silver hoard of up to 20,000 coins and jewelry unearthed near Stockholm

October 11, 2025

Archaeology News online magazine

Archaeology News is an international online magazine that covers all aspects of archaeology.











Categories

  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • Download
  • Game
  • News
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Paleontology
  • Quiz
  • Tours

Subscribe to our newsletter

© 2024 - Archaeology News Online Magazine. All Rights Reserved.

  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Donation
  • Contact

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
  • Home
  • News
    • Archaeology
    • Anthropology
    • Paleontology
  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • VR Tours
  • Quiz & Game
  • Download
  • Encyclopedia
  • Forum

About  .  Contact  .  Donation

© 2024 - Archaeology News Online Magazine. All Rights Reserved