Crops, Cattle and Human DNA – The Motala Site and the Mesolithic-Neolithic Transition in Östergötland, Southern Sweden

Abstract

Palaeogenetic research has recently questioned the notion that the transition to agriculture in south- ern Scandinavia was initiated by local groups of hunter-gatherers who adopted the new economy at the onset of the Neolithic. Instead, the transition is claimed to have been brought about by farmers who migrated to the region from the continent. In this paper we examine whether the idea of a migra- tion can be upheld when set against archaeologi- cal source materials from Östergötland in southern Sweden. Our findings indicate that the notion of a local adoption is supported by the archaeological sources from the area. We also claim that available palaeogenetic sources do not contradict the inter- pretation that local groups of hunter-gatherers ini- tiated the transition to agriculture.

Keywords

• agriculture
• hunter-gatherers
• Östergötland.