Genetic and archaeological studies show that the transition to agriculture in the Maghreb resulted from encounters between local hunter-gatherers, farmers from Europe, and herders who arrived from eastern Sahara.
The Neolithic Revolution is considered one of the great turning points in human history. About ten thousand years ago, human communities in various parts of the world began to gradually shift from hunting, gathering, and nomadic life to agriculture, animal domestication, food production, and the establishment of permanent settlements. This transition paved the way for the development of villages, cities, complex societies, and new social structures.
But archaeological research in recent decades shows that there was no single “Neolithic Revolution.” The transition to agriculture occurred at different rates, in different ways, and through different combinations of migration, knowledge exchange, and local adaptation. In North Africa, and especially in the Maghreb region, the central question has been whether agriculture developed from within local populations, or whether it came from outside with migrant groups.
A study published in Nature paints a more complex picture. The findings suggest that the development of agriculture in the Maghreb between 5500 and 4500 BC did not stem from a single source. It was shaped by repeated encounters between local hunter-gatherers from Africa, early farmers from Europe, and pastoralists from the Fertile Crescent and eastern Sahara. These encounters changed not only the economy and lifestyle, but also the genetic makeup of North African populations.
The researchers analyzed ancient DNA from human remains found at three sites in Morocco: the Kaf Taht el-Ghar cave near Tetouan, the Ifri n'Amr Ou Moussa site in the Khamisat province, and the Skhirat-Rouazi site south of Rabat. The genetic findings made it possible to compare populations from different periods and examine how their origins changed with the spread of Neolithic lifestyles.
At the Kaf Taht el-Ghar site, individuals were identified whose ancestry was related to European farmers who arrived in the region about 7,400 years ago. In contrast, at the Ifri n'Amr Ou Moussa site, several hundred years later, individuals of entirely local origin were found, although they were already using pottery and agricultural practices. This means that local groups did not disappear when new customs emerged. At least some of them adopted new technologies and ideas without losing their local genetic identity.
At Skhirat-Rouazi, dating back about a thousand years, the picture changes again. There, the genomes point to a genetic contribution from pastoral groups whose origins are linked to the Fertile Crescent. The find reinforces early archaeological evidence that pastoral groups moved westward across North Africa, bringing with them new material traditions, subsistence patterns, and genetic components.
The study highlights that the Maghreb was connected to the worlds around it long before more familiar historical periods, such as the Roman period or the spread of Islam. As early as the sixth and fifth millennia BC, there were connections between the two sides of the Strait of Gibraltar, in which knowledge, technologies, cultural traditions, and even genes were transferred.
Crossing from Iberia to North Africa
Rafael M. Martins of the University of Cordoba said the findings mark a turning point in understanding the Neolithic spread in the region. He said the evidence points to a clear direction of transition, likely from Iberia to North Africa. He added that the earliest stamped pottery in Morocco belongs to a broad West Mediterranean tradition, while the pottery from Sikhirat is different in character and is decorated with a rope pattern, associated with groups of Saharan herders.
Juan Carlos Vera of the University of Huelva said the genomic evidence confirms what archaeology had already suggested. Previous finds of cereal and legume seeds at Neolithic sites in Morocco had pointed to a process of agricultural diffusion. Now, he said, the ancient DNA shows that people themselves also arrived in the region and left their genetic mark.
According to Cristina Valdiosera of the University of Burgos, one of the study's leaders, understanding the findings has broad implications for the history of North Africa. The later populations of the Maghreb, including the ancestors of the historical Berbers, the Imazigh, were shaped by three main sources: African hunter-gatherers, Neolithic farmers from Europe, and pastoral groups that moved west from the Fertile Crescent through Sinai and North Africa.
Another study published in Nature in 2025 adds another layer of complexity. According to the same study, the Neolithic transition did not occur in the same way across North Africa. While the Western Maghreb showed stronger evidence of migration and genetic mixing, the Eastern Maghreb showed higher genetic continuity among local populations, even as they adopted some of the customs, animals, and technologies of the Neolithic period.
Together, the two studies present a richer historical story: Agriculture in North Africa was not the result of a simple replacement of one population by another, nor was it a completely independent invention. It was a changing regional process, in which different communities selected, adopted, mixed, and adapted external knowledge to their local needs.
For the first study DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06166-6
For the second study DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-08699-4
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