Multidisciplinary research approach to the Swiss Oberbipp dolmen in the context of the Neolithic revolution in Central Europe

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Recent advances in molecular analysis of ancient human remains from Central and Northern Europe showed a large population turnover in Europe after the introduction of farming at the beginning of the Neolithic period around 7500 years ago.Ancient indigenous European hunter-gatherers genetically admixed with incoming farmers from the Near East. It was further suggested that towards the end of the Neolithic around 4500 years ago a second wave of migrants arrived from NortheasternEurope, resulting in a triplicate ancestry of almost all human populations in Europe today. Central Europe and particularly the region north of the Alps played a key role for those population admixture events, serving as a corridor for migratingpopulations from and to Eastern, Western and Southern Europe. Neolithic human remains and archaeological sites from this region are therefore of great importance in attempting to understand the processes that lead to the current population structureof modern Europe. In this project the unique 5500-5000 year old Swiss dolmen burials from Oberbipp will be used for a multidisciplinary study in order to gain insights into the genetic structure, cultural practices and life history of this Neolithic early farming population.The application of cutting-edge technologies such as stable isotope research or genome-wide next generation DNA sequencing will be combined with a detailed archaeological site study in an empiric cross-over between natural sciences andhumanities. Stable isotopes of the elements carbon, nitrogen, sulphur, hydrogen, oxygen, strontium and lead will shed light on details of the life history, e.g. nutrition and migration patterns, of the Oberbipp individuals. Ancient DNA will be used to determinekinship among the individuals of this particular Neolithic group as well as genetic relationship to other ancient and modern European populations. Genetic data can also be used to detect human pathogens in this ancient population and confirmpaleopathologies observed in the skeletal morphology. Ancient DNA will also allow us to reconstruct phenotypic traits such as the ability to digest milk or starch or eye, skin and hair pigmentation of those early farmers buried at the Oberbipp site. Classicalanthropological analysis will provide us with further indications for the life history and health status. The archaeological context of burials in Switzerland, Eastern France and Southwestern Germany will weave the Oberbipp population into a supra-regionalframework of time and space. The results will be assessed in the context of other contemporary Europeanarchaeological sites in order to understand the biological and cultural relationship of Neolithic populations and the influence of genetic admixture on the population structure of modern European populations.