Post-Neolithic Population Collapse in Europe Caused by Plague

 

Neolithic population collapse may have been caused by plague, researchers say

This article is more than 6 months old

DNA studies suggest disease was central to devastating collapse of northern European population 5,000 years ago

The Guardian published a powerful article 6 months ago, that relayed the latest theory as to why the population turned over in parts of Europe after the Neolithic.  

A devastating population collapse that decimated stone age farming communities across northern Europe 5,000 years ago may have been driven by an outbreak of the plague, according to research.

The cause of the calamity, known as the Neolithic collapse, has long been a matter of debate.

Studies based on DNA from human bones and teeth excavated from ancient burial tombs in Scandinavia – seven from an area in Sweden called Falbygden, one from coastal Sweden close to Gothenburg and one from Denmark – now suggest that disease played a central role.

The remains of 108 people – 62 males, 45 females and one undetermined – were studied. Eighteen of them, or 17%, were infected with plague at the time of death.

This could explain why Steppe DNA introgressed into the European genome in certain locations.  Plagues often came into Europe from the East.