A new discovery in Libya reveals genetic secrets buried more than 7,000 years ago. These are mummified human remains that completely changed what was known about the history of the Sahara.
The analysis of these bodies showed that there was a lineage from North Africa that remained isolated for millennia and no longer exists. The details open a new perspective on how the ancient inhabitants of this region lived.
Un nuevo hallazgo en Libia revela secretos genéticos enterrados hace más de 7.000 años
Revealing DNA in the Green Sahara
During a period when the world's largest desert was a fertile savanna, known as the Green Sahara. Two women were buried in what is now the rock shelter of Takarkori, in southwestern Libya.
The remains were naturally mummified and their genomes were sequenced by an international team of scientists. It is the first time this feat has been achieved in the region.
A lineage that no longer exists
According to the journal Science, these women lived about 7,000 years ago and were part of a group that separated from the rest of Africa about 50,000 years ago. The group remained isolated, without mixing with other populations.
El grupo permaneció aislado, sin mezclarse con otras poblaciones
This fact is key: the Sahara was not a migratory corridor, but an area where there were cultural contacts, but not large population movements.
Cultural development without migrations
The study, published in the journal Nature, revealed that pastoralism spread in the Sahara more through cultural exchange than through migrations.
El pastoralismo se difundió en el Sahara más por intercambio cultural que por migraciones
There are no significant genetic traces of non-African origin, indicating that practices like livestock farming were shared among nearby groups. The transmission was cultural, not genetic.
Archaeological evidence
Human remains and pottery fragments with milk fat.
The oldest evidence of milk processing in Africa (more than 7,000 years).
Vestiges of livestock farming dating back 8,000 years.
This was explained by Savino di Lernia, the lead author of the study and director of the Sapienza Archaeological Mission. The Takarkori site was excavated between 2003 and 2006.
A past with art and human contact
The nearby caves show rock art with scenes of hunting and herding, reflecting an active cultural life during the Sahara's wet period.
El sitio de Takarkori fue excavado entre 2003 y 2006
Additionally, the DNA of the individuals from Takarkori shows an unexpected fact: they had less Neanderthal DNA than humans outside Africa, but more than current sub-Saharan Africans.
How did that DNA arrive?
Johannes Krause, from the Max Planck Institute, explained that there was genetic flow from outside Africa, although limited. This suggests sporadic contacts without large migrations.
