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Fortes-Lima CA, Burgarella C, Hammarén R, Eriksson A, Vicente M, Jolly C, Semo A, Gunnink H, Pacchiarotti S, Mundeke L, Matonda I, Muluwa JK, Coutros P, Nyambe TS, Cikomola JC, Coetzee V, de Castro M, Ebbesen P, Delanghe J, Stoneking M, Barham L, Lombard M, Meyer A, Steyn M, Malmström H, Rocha J, Soodyall H, Pakendorf B, Bostoen K, Schlebusch CM. The genetic legacy of the expansion of Bantu-speaking peoples in Africa. Nature 2024; 625:540-547. [PMID: 38030719 PMCID: PMC10794141 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06770-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
The expansion of people speaking Bantu languages is the most dramatic demographic event in Late Holocene Africa and fundamentally reshaped the linguistic, cultural and biological landscape of the continent1-7. With a comprehensive genomic dataset, including newly generated data of modern-day and ancient DNA from previously unsampled regions in Africa, we contribute insights into this expansion that started 6,000-4,000 years ago in western Africa. We genotyped 1,763 participants, including 1,526 Bantu speakers from 147 populations across 14 African countries, and generated whole-genome sequences from 12 Late Iron Age individuals8. We show that genetic diversity amongst Bantu-speaking populations declines with distance from western Africa, with current-day Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo as possible crossroads of interaction. Using spatially explicit methods9 and correlating genetic, linguistic and geographical data, we provide cross-disciplinary support for a serial-founder migration model. We further show that Bantu speakers received significant gene flow from local groups in regions they expanded into. Our genetic dataset provides an exhaustive modern-day African comparative dataset for ancient DNA studies10 and will be important to a wide range of disciplines from science and humanities, as well as to the medical sector studying human genetic variation and health in African and African-descendant populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cesar A Fortes-Lima
- Human Evolution Program, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Concetta Burgarella
- Human Evolution Program, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- AGAP Institut, University of Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
| | - Rickard Hammarén
- Human Evolution Program, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anders Eriksson
- cGEM, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Mário Vicente
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, University of Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Cecile Jolly
- Human Evolution Program, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Armando Semo
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Hilde Gunnink
- UGent Centre for Bantu Studies (BantUGent), Department of Languages and Cultures, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Leiden University Centre for Linguistics, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Sara Pacchiarotti
- UGent Centre for Bantu Studies (BantUGent), Department of Languages and Cultures, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Leon Mundeke
- University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | - Igor Matonda
- University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | - Joseph Koni Muluwa
- Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de Kikwit, Kikwit, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | - Peter Coutros
- UGent Centre for Bantu Studies (BantUGent), Department of Languages and Cultures, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | | | - Vinet Coetzee
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Minique de Castro
- Biotechnology Platform, Agricultural Research Council, Onderstepoort, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Peter Ebbesen
- Department of Health Science and Technology, University of Aalborg, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Joris Delanghe
- Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Mark Stoneking
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Lawrence Barham
- Department of Archaeology, Classics & Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Marlize Lombard
- Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Anja Meyer
- Human Variation and Identification Research Unit, School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Maryna Steyn
- Human Variation and Identification Research Unit, School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Helena Malmström
- Human Evolution Program, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Jorge Rocha
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Himla Soodyall
- Division of Human Genetics, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Academy of Science of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
| | | | - Koen Bostoen
- UGent Centre for Bantu Studies (BantUGent), Department of Languages and Cultures, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Carina M Schlebusch
- Human Evolution Program, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
- Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.
- SciLifeLab, Uppsala, Sweden.
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Barham L, Duller GAT, Candy I, Scott C, Cartwright CR, Peterson JR, Kabukcu C, Chapot MS, Melia F, Rots V, George N, Taipale N, Gethin P, Nkombwe P. Evidence for the earliest structural use of wood at least 476,000 years ago. Nature 2023; 622:107-111. [PMID: 37730994 PMCID: PMC10550827 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06557-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Wood artefacts rarely survive from the Early Stone Age since they require exceptional conditions for preservation; consequently, we have limited information about when and how hominins used this basic raw material1. We report here on the earliest evidence for structural use of wood in the archaeological record. Waterlogged deposits at the archaeological site of Kalambo Falls, Zambia, dated by luminescence to at least 476 ± 23 kyr ago (ka), preserved two interlocking logs joined transversely by an intentionally cut notch. This construction has no known parallels in the African or Eurasian Palaeolithic. The earliest known wood artefact is a fragment of polished plank from the Acheulean site of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, Israel, more than 780 ka (refs. 2,3). Wooden tools for foraging and hunting appear 400 ka in Europe4-8, China9 and possibly Africa10. At Kalambo we also recovered four wood tools from 390 ka to 324 ka, including a wedge, digging stick, cut log and notched branch. The finds show an unexpected early diversity of forms and the capacity to shape tree trunks into large combined structures. These new data not only extend the age range of woodworking in Africa but expand our understanding of the technical cognition of early hominins11, forcing re-examination of the use of trees in the history of technology12,13.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Barham
- Department of Archaeology, Classics & Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
| | - G A T Duller
- Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, UK
| | - I Candy
- Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK
| | - C Scott
- Professor Elizabeth Slater Archaeological Research Laboratories, Department of Archaeology, Classics & Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - C R Cartwright
- Department of Scientific Research, The British Museum, London, UK
| | - J R Peterson
- Professor Elizabeth Slater Archaeological Research Laboratories, Department of Archaeology, Classics & Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - C Kabukcu
- Professor Elizabeth Slater Archaeological Research Laboratories, Department of Archaeology, Classics & Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
- University of Algarve, Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and Evolution of Human Behaviour (ICArEHB), Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal
| | - M S Chapot
- Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, UK
| | - F Melia
- Professor Elizabeth Slater Archaeological Research Laboratories, Department of Archaeology, Classics & Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - V Rots
- TraceoLab/Prehistory, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - N George
- Professor Elizabeth Slater Archaeological Research Laboratories, Department of Archaeology, Classics & Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - N Taipale
- TraceoLab/Prehistory, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - P Gethin
- Professor Elizabeth Slater Archaeological Research Laboratories, Department of Archaeology, Classics & Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - P Nkombwe
- National Museums Board, Moto Moto Museum, Mbala, Zambia
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Duller GAT, Tooth S, Barham L, Tsukamoto S. New investigations at Kalambo Falls, Zambia: Luminescence chronology, site formation, and archaeological significance. J Hum Evol 2015; 85:111-25. [PMID: 26073072 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2014] [Revised: 04/30/2015] [Accepted: 05/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Fluvial deposits can provide excellent archives of early hominin activity but may be complex to interpret, especially without extensive geochronology. The Stone Age site of Kalambo Falls, northern Zambia, has yielded a rich artefact record from dominantly fluvial deposits, but its significance has been restricted by uncertainties over site formation processes and a limited chronology. Our new investigations in the centre of the Kalambo Basin have used luminescence to provide a chronology and have provided key insights into the geomorphological and sedimentological processes involved in site formation. Excavations reveal a complex assemblage of channel and floodplain deposits. Single grain quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) measurements provide the most accurate age estimates for the youngest sediments, but in older deposits the OSL signal from some grains is saturated. A different luminescence signal from quartz, thermally transferred OSL (TT-OSL), can date these older deposits. OSL and TT-OSL results are combined to provide a chronology for the site. Ages indicate four phases of punctuated deposition by the dominantly laterally migrating and vertically aggrading Kalambo River (∼500-300 ka, ∼300-50 ka, ∼50-30 ka, ∼1.5-0.49 ka), followed by deep incision and renewed lateral migration at a lower topographic level. A conceptual model for site formation provides the basis for improved interpretation of the generation, preservation, and visibility of the Kalambo archaeological record. This model highlights the important role of intrinsic meander dynamics in site formation and does not necessarily require complex interpretations that invoke periodic blocking of the Kalambo River, as has previously been suggested. The oldest luminescence ages place the Mode 2/3 transition between ∼500 and 300 ka, consistent with other African and Asian sites where a similar transition can be found. The study approach adopted here can potentially be applied to other fluvial Stone Age sites throughout Africa and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoff A T Duller
- Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, SY23 3DB, UK.
| | - Stephen Tooth
- Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, SY23 3DB, UK
| | - Lawrence Barham
- Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool, L69 3GS, UK
| | - Sumiko Tsukamoto
- Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics, Geochronology and Isotope Hydrology, Stilleweg 2, Hannover D-30655, Germany
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de Filippo C, Heyn P, Barham L, Stoneking M, Pakendorf B. Genetic perspectives on forager-farmer interaction in the Luangwa valley of Zambia. Am J Phys Anthropol 2010; 141:382-94. [PMID: 19918997 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.21155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The transformation from a foraging way of life to a reliance on domesticated plants and animals often led to the expansion of agropastoralist populations at the expense of hunter-gatherers (HGs). In Africa, one of these expansions involved the Niger-Congo Bantu-speaking populations that started to spread southwards from Cameroon/Nigeria approximately 4,000 years ago, bringing agricultural technologies. Genetic studies have shown different degrees of gene flow (sometimes involving sex-biased migrations) between Bantu agriculturalists and HGs. Although these studies have covered many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, the central part (e.g. Zambia) was not yet studied, and the interactions between immigrating food-producers and local HGs are still unclear. Archeological evidence from the Luangwa Valley of Zambia suggests a long period of coexistence ( approximately 1,700 years) of early food-producers and HGs. To investigate if this apparent coexistence was accompanied by genetic admixture, we analyzed the mtDNA control region, Y chromosomal unique event polymorphisms, and 12 associated Y- short tandem repeats in two food-producing groups (Bisa and Kunda) that live today in the Luangwa Valley, and compared these data with available published data on African HGs. Our results suggest that both the Bisa and Kunda experienced at most low levels of admixture with HGs, and these levels do not differ between the maternal and paternal lineages. Coalescent simulations indicate that the genetic data best fit a demographic scenario with a long divergence (62,500 years) and little or no gene flow between the ancestors of the Bisa/Kunda and existing HGs. This scenario contrasts with the archaeological evidence for a long period of coexistence between the two different communities in the Luangwa Valley, and suggests a process of sociocultural boundary maintenance may have characterized their interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cesare de Filippo
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig D-04103, Germany.
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