7,000-year-old DNA in Morocco reveals origins of North African farming

The Neolithic Revolution has sparked debate for years: Did it arise from local developments or through large-scale migration? Recent research in paleogenomics, published in Nature, sheds light on this. Scientists examined DNA from Moroccan sites like Kaf Taht el-Ghar, which dates back over 7,400 years. The findings show that agriculture in the Maghreb developed through various routes. European farmers likely crossed the Strait of Gibraltar by sea, indigenous people adopted new farming techniques, and pastoralists from the Levant arrived later. This mix of influences formed a genetic blend that underpins modern Maghrebi populations, including the Imazighen (Berbers).

DNA in Moroccan sites tells scientists the origins of North African farming

According to the study published in Nature, this research has uncovered a major discovery: Three distinct ancestral components came together in the Maghreb around 7,400 to 6,300 years ago. Scientists found people at Kaf Taht el-Ghar with ancestry closely related to early European farmers from Iberia. This finding shows that farming wasn’t just an idea that spread but was actually brought over by individuals who crossed the Mediterranean much earlier than we once thought.European migrants brought agriculture, but DNA from the Ifri n’Amr Ou Moussa site represents the Late Pleistocene/Epipaleolithic indigenous baseline. These people had purely local ancestry, yet they were already using pottery and farming tools. This points to a ‘dual model,’ where indigenous groups adopted Neolithic ‘packages’ while maintaining genetic isolation for several centuries before eventually merging.

How Near East herders reached Morocco

As noted in the study published in Nature, about 1,000 years after the first farmers appeared, a third major genetic component arrived from the Levant (Near East) via the ‘Green Sahara’ corridor. This DNA, found in remains at Skhirat-Rouazi, relates to the spread of pastoralism – the practice of herding sheep and goats. These groups travelled westward across what is known as the ‘Green Sahara,’ eventually mingling with local populations and those descended from Europeans. This blending created the mixed ancestry seen in later North African history.

How the ‘Green Sahara’ defined regional ancestry

The research shows that the unique genetic mix from the Neolithic era is key to the ancestry of today’s North Africans. This mix came from indigenous foragers, Iberian farmers, and Levantine herders. When scientists compared ancient DNA with modern populations, they discovered that groups like the Imazighen (Berbers) still hold on to this 7,000-year-old genetic ‘mosaic.’ Although later events, such as Roman, Vandal, and Arab expansions, altered cultures in the region, the fundamental biological roots were mostly established during the African Humid Period (AHP).