Modelling Culture and Genetics: Disentangling the Mesolithic-Neolithic Transition in Denmark

The rapidly expanding availability of palaeogenomic data provides new opportunities for archaeological chronology, yet genetic evidence is rarely incorporated independently within Bayesian chronological models. Here, we develop an approach for modelling cultural and genetic transitions separately, allowing their temporal relationship to be evaluated explicitly. We apply this framework to the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in Denmark using 494 radiocarbon dates from 130 archaeological sites integrated with archaeological, isotopic and palaeogenomic evidence. Consistent with previous research, the preferred model places the rapid establishment of Neolithic cultural practices across Denmark around 4000 BC. The model further indicates that Mesolithic lifeways persisted for several generations, while European farmer ancestry appears 223-515 years after the introduction of Neolithic cultural practices in western Denmark and 324-474 years after in eastern Denmark (68.3% probability). Dietary patterns also differ significantly by genetic ancestry after accounting for chronology, while strontium isotope variation suggests possible differences in landscape use between hunter-gatherer and farming communities. The introduction of Neolithic practices, persistence of Mesolithic lifeways and population turnover therefore represent overlapping rather than synchronous processes. More broadly, the study demonstrates how palaeogenomic evidence can provide independent chronological information within Bayesian models, offering a transferable approach for disentangling cultural and population change by modelling these processes separately and evaluating their temporal relationship.