The Anglo-Saxon migration and the formation of the early English gene pool

Joscha Gretzinger, Duncan Sayer (), Pierre Justeau, Eveline Altena, Maria Pala, Katharina Dulias, Ceiridwen J. Edwards, Susanne Jodoin, Laura Lacher, Susanna Sabin, Åshild J. Vågene, Wolfgang Haak, S. Sunna Ebenesersdóttir, Kristjan H. S. Moore, Rita Radzeviciute, Kara Schmidt, Selina Brace, Martina Abenhus Bager, Nick Patterson, Luka Papac, Nasreen Broomandkhoshbacht, Kimberly Callan, Éadaoin Harney, Lora Iliev, Ann Marie Lawson, Megan Michel, Kristin Stewardson, Fatma Zalzala, Nadin Rohland, Stefanie Kappelhoff-Beckmann, Frank Both, Daniel Winger, Daniel Neumann, Lars Saalow, Stefan Krabath, Sophie Beckett, Melanie Twest, Neil Faulkner, Chris Read, Tabatha Barton, Joanna Caruth, John Hines, Ben Krause-Kyora, Ursula Warnke, Verena J. Schuenemann, Ian Barnes, Hanna Dahlström, Jane Jark Clausen, Andrew Richardson, Elizabeth Popescu, Natasha Dodwell, Stuart Ladd, Tom Phillips, Richard Mortimer, Faye Sayer, Diana Swales, Allison Stewart, Dominic Powlesland, Robert Kenyon, Lilian Ladle, Christina Peek, Silke Grefen-Peters, Paola Ponce, Robin Daniels, Cecily Spall, Jennifer Woolcock, Andy M. Jones, Amy V. Roberts, Robert Symmons, Anooshka C. Rawden, Alan Cooper, Kirsten I. Bos, Tom Booth, Hannes Schroeder, Mark G. Thomas, Agnar Helgason, Martin B. Richards, David Reich, Johannes Krause and Stephan Schiffels ()
Additional contact information
Joscha Gretzinger: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Duncan Sayer: University of Central Lancashire
Pierre Justeau: University of Huddersfield
Eveline Altena: Leiden University
Maria Pala: University of Huddersfield
Katharina Dulias: University of Huddersfield
Ceiridwen J. Edwards: University of Huddersfield
Susanne Jodoin: University of Tübingen
Laura Lacher: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Susanna Sabin: Arizona State University
Åshild J. Vågene: University of Copenhagen
Wolfgang Haak: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
S. Sunna Ebenesersdóttir: deCODE Genetics/AMGEN Inc.
Kristjan H. S. Moore: deCODE Genetics/AMGEN Inc.
Rita Radzeviciute: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Kara Schmidt: University of Münster
Selina Brace: Natural History Museum
Martina Abenhus Bager: University of Copenhagen
Nick Patterson: Harvard Medical School
Luka Papac: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Nasreen Broomandkhoshbacht: Harvard Medical School
Kimberly Callan: Harvard Medical School
Éadaoin Harney: Harvard Medical School
Lora Iliev: Harvard Medical School
Ann Marie Lawson: Harvard Medical School
Megan Michel: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Kristin Stewardson: Harvard Medical School
Fatma Zalzala: Harvard Medical School
Nadin Rohland: Harvard Medical School
Stefanie Kappelhoff-Beckmann: Landesmuseum Natur und Mensch
Frank Both: Landesmuseum Natur und Mensch
Daniel Winger: University of Rostock
Daniel Neumann: Lower Saxony State Museum
Lars Saalow: Landesamt für Kultur und Denkmalpflege Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Stefan Krabath: Institute for Historical Coastal Research (NIhK)
Sophie Beckett: Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project
Melanie Twest: Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project
Neil Faulkner: Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project
Chris Read: The Atlantic Technological University
Tabatha Barton: Milton Keynes Museum
Joanna Caruth: Cotswold Archaeology
John Hines: Cardiff University
Ben Krause-Kyora: University of Kiel
Ursula Warnke: Landesmuseum Natur und Mensch
Verena J. Schuenemann: University of Zurich
Ian Barnes: Natural History Museum
Hanna Dahlström: Museum of Copenhagen
Jane Jark Clausen: Museum of Copenhagen
Andrew Richardson: Canterbury Archaeological Trust
Elizabeth Popescu: Oxford Archaeology East
Natasha Dodwell: Oxford Archaeology East
Stuart Ladd: Oxford Archaeology East
Tom Phillips: Oxford Archaeology East
Richard Mortimer: Oxford Archaeology East
Faye Sayer: University of Birmingham
Diana Swales: University of Dundee
Allison Stewart: University of Central Lancashire
Dominic Powlesland: The Landscape Research Centre Ltd
Robert Kenyon: East Dorset Antiquarian Society (EDAS)
Lilian Ladle: Bournemouth University
Christina Peek: Institute for Historical Coastal Research (NIhK)
Silke Grefen-Peters: Ossatura–Wilhelm-Börker
Paola Ponce: University of York
Robin Daniels: Tees Archaeology
Cecily Spall: FAS Heritage
Jennifer Woolcock: Royal Cornwall Museum
Andy M. Jones: Cornwall Archaeological Unit
Amy V. Roberts: The Novium Museum
Robert Symmons: Fishbourne Roman Palace
Anooshka C. Rawden: Fishbourne Roman Palace
Alan Cooper: BlueSkyGenetics
Kirsten I. Bos: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Tom Booth: Natural History Museum
Hannes Schroeder: University of Copenhagen
Mark G. Thomas: University College London
Agnar Helgason: deCODE Genetics/AMGEN Inc.
Martin B. Richards: University of Huddersfield
David Reich: Harvard Medical School
Johannes Krause: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Stephan Schiffels: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

Nature, 2022, vol. 610, issue 7930, 112-119

Abstract: Abstract The history of the British Isles and Ireland is characterized by multiple periods of major cultural change, including the influential transformation after the end of Roman rule, which precipitated shifts in language, settlement patterns and material culture1. The extent to which migration from continental Europe mediated these transitions is a matter of long-standing debate2–4. Here we study genome-wide ancient DNA from 460 medieval northwestern Europeans—including 278 individuals from England—alongside archaeological data, to infer contemporary population dynamics. We identify a substantial increase of continental northern European ancestry in early medieval England, which is closely related to the early medieval and present-day inhabitants of Germany and Denmark, implying large-scale substantial migration across the North Sea into Britain during the Early Middle Ages. As a result, the individuals who we analysed from eastern England derived up to 76% of their ancestry from the continental North Sea zone, albeit with substantial regional variation and heterogeneity within sites. We show that women with immigrant ancestry were more often furnished with grave goods than women with local ancestry, whereas men with weapons were as likely not to be of immigrant ancestry. A comparison with present-day Britain indicates that subsequent demographic events reduced the fraction of continental northern European ancestry while introducing further ancestry components into the English gene pool, including substantial southwestern European ancestry most closely related to that seen in Iron Age France5,6.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05247-2

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