Maghreb farming arose through repeated contact, study suggests
Updated
Updated · SciTechDaily · Apr 29
Maghreb farming arose through repeated contact, study suggests
7 articles · Updated · SciTechDaily · Apr 29
Nature-published genetic evidence from three Moroccan sites dates European farmer ancestry to about 7,400 years ago and later links Skhirat-Rouazi people to eastward pastoralist groups.
Researchers say local hunter-gatherers persisted and adopted pottery and farming practices, indicating migration, cultural exchange and local adaptation rather than simple replacement or independent invention.
The study says later Maghreb ancestry, including Berber forebears, drew from African foragers, European farmers and Fertile Crescent herders; a 2025 paper found eastern North Africa followed a more continuous path.
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