Riverine Foragers of Early Belgium

Along the meandering valleys of the Sambre and Meuse, the first postglacial people returned to a landscape of mixed woodlands, wetlands and newly generous rivers. Archaeological horizons at Abri des Autours, Malonne Petit Ri and Waulsort Caverne X record human activity in a narrow window between 9160 and 8294 BCE, a period when rising temperatures and shifting resources restructured hunter‑gatherer lifeways.

Material culture is fragmentary: lithic scatters, ephemeral hearth lenses, and faunal remains indicate small, mobile groups exploiting fish, freshwater mussels and seasonally available game. Archaeological data indicates repeated short-term occupation of sheltered riverbanks and caves, suggesting logistical mobility tied to riverine resources. Limited evidence suggests these groups were part of broader postglacial recolonization networks across northwestern Europe, though local adaptations appear distinct.

Because only four individuals are sampled genetically, any reconstruction of origins remains provisional. Archaeology provides the landscape and behaviour; the DNA — sparse but evocative — offers genetic contours that complement, rather than replace, the material record.

Genetic sampling from four individuals provides a first glimpse into the biological affinities of Mesolithic Namur populations but must be read as preliminary. Two of the four individuals carry mitochondrial haplogroup U, a lineage commonly associated with hunter‑gatherer populations across Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic Europe. This mtDNA signal aligns with broader patterns of Western European Hunter‑Gatherer (WHG)–like ancestry seen in many postglacial sites, suggesting maternal continuity with regional forager groups.

No consistent Y‑chromosome pattern is reported in this small set, so paternal-line inferences remain unresolved. With only four genomes, statistical power is low: apparent affinities to WHG or other regional groups should be treated as tentative. Nevertheless, the combined archaeological and genetic picture points to small forager groups with maternal links to widespread Mesolithic lineages and likely genetic continuity with neighboring hunter‑gatherers.

Future sampling from additional burials, higher coverage genomes, and isotope data will be required to clarify mobility, kinship patterns, and the degree of genetic isolation or exchange with adjacent populations. Current DNA evidence complements material culture but is insufficient to map detailed demographic events.