Neolithic Northern Europeans Rejected Farming

It turns out that northern Europeans in the Neolithic may have actually rejected farming rather than embraced it, like others. Scientists have uncovered evidence that offers a new wrinkle in the history of a major economic revolution.

"This discovery goes beyond farming," said Solange Rigaud, one of the researchers, in a news release. "It also reveals two different cultural trajectories that took place in Europe thousands of years ago, with southern and central regions advancing in many ways and northern regions maintaining their traditions."

In this latest study, the researchers focused on the adoption or rejection of ornaments-certain types of beads and bracelets worn by different populations. This revealed a bit more about the spread of specific practices; previous studies have shown a link between the embrace of survival methods and the adoption of particular ornaments.

Scientists have long known that the first farmers came to Europe about 8,000 years ago, marking the start of a major economic revolution. However, the pathways of this spread of farming have been unclear.

The researchers examined more than 200 bead-types found at more than 400 European sites over a 3,000-year period. In the end, the researchers were able to track the spread of farmers. Surprisingly, they found that in the Baltic region of northern Europe, people did not adopt farming practices. In contrast, this area held on to decorative wear usually used by hunting and foraging populations.

"It's clear hunters and foragers in the Baltic area resisted the adoption of ornaments worn by farmers during this period," said Rigaud. "We've therefore concluded that this cultural boundary reflected a block in the advancement of farming-at least during the Neolithic period."

The findings are published in the journal PLOS One.

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