Stone age population collapse revealed by DNA study in France
The research, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, is based on genetic analyses of 132 individuals buried in a large megalithic tomb near Bury, about 50 kilometres north of Paris. The site was used during two distinct periods separated by a population decline around 3000 BC.
Researchers found that the two groups buried before and after the decline were not genetically related, pointing to a major population turnover.
“We see a clear genetic break between the two periods,” said Frederik Valeur Seersholm, assistant professor at the Globe Institute at the University of Copenhagen and one of the lead authors of the study.
“The earlier group resembles Stone Age farming populations from northern France and Germany, while the later group shows strong genetic links to southern France and the Iberian Peninsula.”
The findings suggest a sharp reduction in the local population followed by the arrival of new groups from the south.
Disease and high mortality
Using a DNA method that analyses all genetic material preserved in bone, the researchers detected traces of ancient pathogens, including the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis and louse-bourne relapsing fever caused by Borrelia recurrentis.
“We can confirm that plague was present, but the evidence does not support it as the sole cause of the population collapse,” said Martin Sikora, associate professor at the University of Copenhagen and senior author of the study. “The decline was likely driven by a combination of disease, environmental stress and other disruptive events.”
Archaeological analysis of the skeletal remains shows unusually high mortality in the earlier burial phase, particularly among children and young people.
“The demographic pattern is a strong indicator of crisis,” said Laure Salanova, research director at France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).
Shift in social organisation
The DNA data also reaffirm a marked change in social structure.
In the earlier phase, multiple generations from the same extended families were buried together, suggesting tightly knit communities. In the later phase, burials were more selective and dominated by a single male lineage, pointing to a different form of organisation.
“This indicates that the population change was accompanied by a shift in how society was structured,” Seersholm said.
A wider European pattern
The findings add to growing evidence that the so-called Neolithic decline affected much of northern and western Europe, not only Scandinavia and northern Germany.
The study also offers a possible explanation for why the construction of megalithic tombs and other large stone monuments ended across Europe around the same time.
“We now see that end of these monumental constructions coincides with the disappearance of the population that built them,” Seersholm said.
Key facts
- 132 individuals analysed
- Burial site: Bury, France
- Dating: c. 3200–2450 BC
- Journal: Nature Ecology & Evolution
- Full study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-026-03027-z
Journal
Ecology and Evolution
Article Title
Population discontinuity in the Paris Basin linked to evidence of the Neolithic decline
Article Publication Date
3-Apr-2026
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