Ancient DNA at the edge of the world: Continental immigration and the persistence of Neolithic male lineages in Bronze Age Orkney

A groundbreaking ancient DNA study of Bronze Age Orkney reveals significant continental immigration, yet uniquely preserves Neolithic male lineages. Unlike other parts of Britain, Orkney shows no archaeological evidence of Beaker culture influence, suggesting an insular trajectory. The research analyzed 25 burials from northwest Orkney, comparing them with Neolithic samples across the archipelago. Results indicate that while Bronze Age populations carried significant ancestry from the Pontic-Caspian Steppe, most male lineages trace back to local Neolithic descendants, though this dwindled by the Iron Age. Additionally, mitochondrial DNA shows continuity in female lineages from Mesolithic Britain into the Bronze Age and beyond.

Dulias, K., Foody, M. G. B., Justeau, P., Silva, M., Martiniano, R., Oteo-García, G., Fichera, A., Rodrigues, S., Gandini, F., Meynert, A., Donnelly, K., Aitman, T. J., Chamberlain, A., Lelong, O., Kozikowski, G., Powlesland, D., Waddington, C., Mattiangeli, V., et al. (2022). Ancient DNA at the edge of the world: Continental immigration and the persistence of Neolithic male lineages in Bronze Age Orkney. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(8). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2108001119