Early Pastoralism in Central European Forests: Insights from Ancient Environmental Genomics

Abstract

Central European forests have been shaped by complex human interactions throughout the Holocene, with significant changes following the introduction of domesticated animals in the Neolithic ([~]7.5 - 6.0 kyr BP). However, understanding early pastoral practices and their impact on forests is limited by methods for detecting animal movement across past landscapes. Here we examine ancient sedimentary DNA (sedaDNA) preserved at the Velky Mamu[t]ak rock shelter, in northern Bohemia (Czech Republic), which has been a forested enclave since the early Holocene. We find that domesticated animals, their associated microbiomes, and plants potentially gathered for fodder, have clear representation by the Late Neolithic, around 6.0 kyr BP, and persist throughout the Bronze Age into recent times. We identify a change in dominant grazing species from sheep to pigs in the Bronze Age ([~]4.1 - 3.0 kyr BP) and interpret the impact this had in the mid-Holocene retrogressions that still define the structure of Central European forests today. This study highlights the ability of ancient metagenomics to bridge archaeological and paleoecological methods and provide an enhanced perspective on the roots of the Anthropocene.