A new study published in Nature sheds light on the remarkable genetic and cultural continuity of forager populations in the eastern Maghreb (modern Tunisia and eastern Algeria), revealing that local groups preserved their genetic identity despite the arrival of farming populations from Europe and Southwest Asia.
The research was conducted within the framework of the Northern Tunisia Archaeological Project, co-directed by Nabiha Aouadi (INP), Lotfi Belhouchet (INP), Alfredo Coppa (Unitelma), and Giulio Lucarini (CNR-ISPC), with funding from MAECI and ISMEO.
The Neolithic period marked a fundamental shift from hunting and gathering to food production. While Europe experienced dramatic genetic changes due to migrations from Southwest Asia, North Africa’s role remained poorly understood. This study challenges the idea that the region passively received Neolithic influences, showing that although some genetic input from early farmers reached the eastern Maghreb across the Mediterranean, local populations retained strong ties to their foraging heritage.
By analyzing aDNA from nine individuals who lived between 15,000 and 6,000 years ago, the team identified a striking pattern of continuity. European farmers contributed some genetic material—less than 20%—but their impact was far less significant than in other northern Mediterranean regions, where farming populations largely replaced indigenous hunter-gatherers. The study also revealed early European hunter-gatherer ancestry in one Tunisian individual, marking the earliest genetic evidence of contact between early European and North African populations. Seafaring routes across the Strait of Sicily likely facilitated these interactions.
Unlike the western Maghreb (Morocco), where European farmer ancestry reached up to 80%, the eastern Maghreb experienced a more limited genetic impact from incoming farming groups. Food production likely spread through sporadic migration, cultural exchange, and gradual diffusion of knowledge. Another key finding is the presence of early Levantine-related ancestry, linked to the introduction of domesticated animals like sheep and goats by pastoralist groups moving westward from Southwest Asia.
One of the study’s most remarkable conclusions is that the eastern Maghreb was a region of strong genetic and cultural resilience. Crop farming didn’t take root until later; instead, communities relied on pastoralism while continuing to collect land snails, hunt wild game, and gather wild plant resources. This resistance to crop farming coincided with a resistance to incorporating farmer ancestry, providing a striking case of genetic continuity linked to economic strategy.
This discovery opens new avenues for understanding the complexity of the Neolithic transformation across the Mediterranean, revealing that the shift to food production was not uniform but dynamic and regionally diverse. The study underscores the importance of interdisciplinary research in reconstructing the deep history of human populations and highlights North Africa’s distinctive role in the broader story of human prehistory.
