Out-of-Anatolia: cultural and genetic interactions during the Neolithic expansion in the Aegean

Western Anatolia has been a crucial yet elusive element in the Neolithic expansion from the Fertile Crescent to Europe. Our study introduces 30 new paleogenomes from Anatolia, spanning circa 8000-6000 BCE, including an individual from the Aegean dating back to 7800 BCE. We describe the early Holocene genetic landscape of Western Anatolia, revealing population continuity that extends back to the late Upper Pleistocene. Our findings indicate that the Neolithization of Western Anatolia during the 7th millennium BCE was a multifaceted process, characterised by the assimilation of Neolithic practices by indigenous groups and the influx of populations from Central Anatolia or adjacent areas. Haplotype sharing patterns suggest that the admixed descendants of these populations navigated maritime pathways through the Aegean Sea, laying the foundations for Neolithisation in Greece. Intriguingly, the observed diversity in material culture among Aegean Neolithic communities of the 7th millennium BCE correlates with geographical distances but not genetic differences, signifying a decoupling between cultural developments and genetic admixture processes.