Early Neolithic Morocco: Ifri n'Amr or Moussa

The early Neolithic horizon at Ifri n'Amr or Moussa (dated by samples to roughly 5367–4805 BCE) sits at a cultural threshold in northwest Africa. Archaeological data indicates a gradual transition from Epipalaeolithic lifeways toward practices associated with the Neolithic — new ceramics, altered settlement patterns, and incipient food production — but the pace and source of these changes remain debated. The limited genetic dataset from four individuals suggests continuity with long-established North African maternal lineages (mtDNA U) alongside a low-frequency mtDNA M and a single observed Y-haplogroup E lineage.

Limited evidence suggests that some elements of material culture may derive from local adaptation of mobile forager groups, rather than a wholesale population replacement. At the same time, subtle genetic signals leave open the possibility of small-scale gene flow from the eastern Mediterranean or Sahara corridors. Given the small sample size, these interpretations are provisional: further excavations and additional genomes will be required to refine models of demographic change during the Epipalaeolithic–Neolithic transition in the Maghreb.

Ancient DNA from four Early Neolithic individuals at Ifri n'Amr or Moussa offers a rare genetic window into the Maghreb's Neolithic frontier, but interpretations must be cautious. Three individuals carried mtDNA haplogroup U — a lineage widely associated with Palaeolithic and Mesolithic populations across Europe and North Africa — while one carried mtDNA M, a less common maternal lineage in the region that could reflect deep local ancestry or low-level connections to southwestern Eurasian gene pools. On the paternal side, a single observed Y-haplogroup E is consistent with broader North African and sub-Saharan distributions, but one Y sample cannot establish frequencies.

Overall, the mitochondrial dominance of U hints at continuity with older North African maternal lineages through the Epipalaeolithic–Neolithic transition. The presence of mtDNA M and the E Y-lineage suggest a complex tapestry of ancestries, where local survival, occasional incoming lineages, and regional interaction all plausibly contributed. Because the dataset comprises only four genomes, these patterns are preliminary: larger sample sizes across multiple sites will be needed to test hypotheses about migration, sex-biased gene flow, and the genetic impact of early farming in the Maghreb.