Large-Scale Migration into Southern Britain During the Middle to Late Bronze Age

[Grace O'Malley]

Unfortunately full paper isn't out yet but this affected England and Wales and not Scotland so obviously not Ireland either.

Large-Scale Migration into Southern Britain During the Middle to Late Bronze Age
HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL

Present-day populations from England and Wales harbour more ancestry derived from Early European Farmers (EEF) than did people of the Early Bronze Age. To study how this occurred, we generated genome-wide data from 803 individuals, almost all from the Middle to Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age, increasing data in this period from Britain by 12-fold, and from Western and Central Europe by more than two-fold. Between 1000-875 BCE, EEF ancestry increased in southern Britain (England and Wales) but not in northern Britain (Scotland), due to incorporation into the population of a stream of migrants who arrived at this time and in previous centuries and who were genetically most similar to ancient individuals from France. These migrants cumulatively contributed about half the ancestry of Iron Age people of England and Wales, thereby documenting a previously unknown demographic process that is a plausible vector for the spread of early Celtic languages into Britain. These patterns are part of a broader trend of EEF ancestry proportions becoming more similar across Central and Western Europe in the Middle to Late Bronze Age, coincident with intensification of cultural exchange and highlighting this period as a peak of interaction and mobility. We find no evidence of a comparable rate of migration into Britain in the Iron Age. The distinct genetic trajectories of Britain and continental Europe in the Iron Age are also exemplified by the fact that the allele conferring lactase persistence rose to ~50% frequency in Britain by this time whereas it was only ~7% in Central Europe and underwent a comparable rise in frequency only a millennium later, a pattern that could only occur if there were qualitative differences in how dairy products were used in Britain and in Central Europe.

https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ena/browser/view/PRJEB47891

There are 803 new samples which should be very interesting to look at. These people were most similar to ancient individual from France.

[Jana]

This should mean southern England and Wales (southern Wales?) are more "Celtic proper" than Ireland or Scotland. Cornwall and SW England/South Wales are probably most genetically (continental) Celtic regions of British Isles today.

[Grace O'Malley]

This should mean southern England and Wales (southern Wales?) are more "Celtic proper" than Ireland or Scotland. Cornwall and SW England/South Wales are probably most genetically (continental) Celtic regions of British Isles today.

It will be interesting when the paper comes out. It will be a strange twist though? There has obviously been some diffusion to Scotland and also Ireland since that time but this was obviously a very large migration and the reason why today Southern England and Wales plot more south than Scotland and Ireland.

I hope the full paper comes out within the next few weeks.

[Grace O'Malley]

Someone posted this on Eurogenes Blog.

[J. Ketch]

803 samples will be very useful, many are from the continent too. Should plug all the relevant gaps.

I'm thinking the replacement of the Hilversum Culture people in Belgium and South Netherlands by Celtic speakers might have been closer to 75%.

[Grace O'Malley]

803 samples will be very useful, many are from the continent too. Should plug all the relevant gaps.

I'm thinking the replacement of the Hilversum Culture people in Belgium and South Netherlands by Celtic speakers might have been closer to 75%.

Yes makes sense. There is that North Dutch/South Dutch divide in genetics also.

[J.S.]

[Grace O'Malley]

Genomes from this study for G25.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WbT...xShVwB3jW/view

These are preliminary co-ordinates so won't be put into the G25 until Davidski has the official genotypes.

[Grace O'Malley]

Distance to: Celtic_paper:I14378
0.03221625 Irish
0.03231878 Norwegian
0.03342311 Icelandic
0.03516412 Scottish
0.03565032 Danish
0.03656332 Shetlandic
0.03680453 Orcadian
0.03786053 Dutch
0.03861695 English
0.03884036 Swedish
0.03938894 Welsh
0.04138892 English_Cornwall
0.04335133 French_Brittany
0.04930088 Afrikaner
0.04962914 German
0.05555955 Belgian
0.05645955 French_Pas-de-Calais
0.05773879 French_Seine-Maritime
0.05954920 German_East
0.06005160 French_Nord
0.06217875 Austrian
0.06220349 French_Paris
0.06225454 Czech
0.06391029 French_Alsace
0.06476544 Swiss_German

Target: Celtic_paper:I14378
Distance: 2.9647% / 0.02964697
38.2 Irish
38.0 Norwegian
16.8 Icelandic
5.4 Darginian
1.6 Saami

Distance to: Celtic_paper:I20589
0.01861470 Irish
0.01907079 Scottish
0.02007892 Welsh
0.02032787 Orcadian
0.02204213 English
0.02299024 Shetlandic
0.02301752 French_Brittany
0.02389143 English_Cornwall
0.02448770 Dutch
0.02474491 Norwegian
0.02498862 Danish
0.02712569 Icelandic
0.03016807 German
0.03191573 Swedish
0.03289181 Afrikaner
0.03405187 Belgian
0.03439337 French_Seine-Maritime
0.03628086 French_Pas-de-Calais
0.03697067 French_Nord
0.04094955 French_Alsace
0.04163051 French_Paris
0.04196875 Austrian
0.04274844 Swiss_German
0.04365753 German_East
0.04748079 Czech

Target: Celtic_paper:I20589
Distance: 1.6537% / 0.01653739
55.4 Irish
27.4 Welsh
7.0 Norwegian
3.2 Spanish_Soria
2.6 Darginian
1.6 Latvian
1.2 French_Seine-Maritime
1.2 Kubachinian
0.4 Surui

So many to look at.

[Grace O'Malley]

These samples make a huge difference to my results. I'm really getting impatient for this paper to be published.

Distance to: Grace_scaled
0.01930445 England_Saxon
0.02107911 England_Roman
0.02157792 VK2020_Faroes_EM
0.02162081 Celtic_paper:I20589
0.02167041 VK2020_GreenlandE_VA
0.02202276 Celtic_paper:I19657
0.02236680 England_MBA
0.02248424 VK2020_DNK_Sealand_VA
0.02250900 Bell_Beaker_Mittelelbe-Saale
0.02266526 Celtic_paper:I12772
0.02282273 Celtic_paper:I11034
0.02291035 Celtic_paper:I19656
0.02302375 Celtic_paper:I13732
0.02322423 VK2020_Scotland_Orkney_VA
0.02361793 Scotland_LBA
0.02378217 Celtic_paper:I14809
0.02409581 VK2020_SWE_Skara_VA
0.02438063 Celtic_paper:I20988
0.02446470 Celtic_paper:I19909
0.02461014 VK2020_ISL_Hofstadir_VA
0.02477695 Celtic_paper:I15045
0.02515855 Celtic_paper:I3567
0.02522629 Celtic_paper:I12771
0.02526089 VK2020_NOR_Mid_MA
0.02530151 DEU_MA_Alemannic


Target: Grace_scaled
Distance: 0.7773% / 0.00777343
92.6 Celtic_paper
5.4 VK2020_POL_Cedynia_MA
1.4 Baltic_LVA_BA
0.6 ROU_Iron_Gates_N