(A) Timeline of ancient Southwest Asian individuals used in the analyses. Spatio-temporal distribution of the samples and the population structure of Neolithic Southwest Asia. With the exception of a single ancient DNA study reporting 15 mitochondrial DNA sequences from the Upper Euphrates ( 14), Upper Mesopotamia has remained genomically unexplored, mostly owing to low DNA preservation in the region.įig. Meanwhile, key questions about the possible roles of Upper Mesopotamia in interregional demographic and cultural change, e.g., whether Upper Mesopotamia influenced Late Neolithic Central Anatolia and whether it was the source of the post-Neolithic gene flow into Anatolia ( 6, 13), have remained open. This body of work has together revealed (a) genetically distinct populations in all three regions, (b) a dominant trend of population continuity between pre-Neolithic, Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) and Pottery Neolithic (PN) communities, (c) an overlay of interregional gene flow through time, such as inferred “southern” and “eastern” gene flow events into Central Anatolia between the Early and Late Neolithic. This stands in contrast with a significant number of recent archaeogenomic studies that focused on the three most distant corners of Neolithic Southwest Asia, namely South Levant, Central Zagros, and Central Anatolia ( Fig. 9800-6500 BC) is well documented in the archaeological record, but their demographic history and social structures has remained unknown owing to the lack of genomes from North Mesopotamia. The innovative spirit and cultural dynamism of these societies during the Neolithic Transition in Southwest Asia (c. Located between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, the hilly flanks of Upper Mesopotamia were home to the earliest sedentary hunter-gatherers who built the first monumental structures at Göbekli Tepe ( 1) and domesticated numerous local plant and animal species, including einkorn, emmer, sheep, goat, pig, and cattle ( 2– 5). We hypothesise that Upper Mesopotamia’s cultural dynamism during the Neolithic Transition was the product not only of its fertile lands but also of its interregional demographic connections. Finally, we identify Upper Mesopotamia as the likely source of eastern gene flow into Neolithic Anatolia, in line with material culture evidence. We document bodily interventions such as head-shaping and cauterization among the individuals examined, reflecting Çayönü’s cultural ingenuity. Our results further suggest that the community was organised along biological family lines. Our findings reveal that Çayönü was a genetically diverse population, carrying a mixed ancestry from western and eastern Fertile Crescent, and that the community received immigrants. We present thirteen ancient genomes (c.8500-7500 calBCE) from Pre-Pottery Neolithic Çayönü in the Tigris basin together with bioarchaeological and material culture data.
Upper Mesopotamia played a key role in the Neolithic Transition in Southwest Asia through marked innovations in symbolism, technology, and foodways.
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