New evidence reveals skeletal remnants and teeth excavated from the mountains of Zagros, Iran, from four prehistoric individuals provides clues how these humans had a regular diet of native grown crops, as early as 9,000 years ago.

More specifically, these human bones found inside the Wezmeh Cave in Zagros are very well preserved where the others are discovered from a site known as Tepe Abdul Hosein which is also located in Iran, dating back to 10,000 years old, according to an international team of scientists from the University College of London and Johannes Gutenberg University.

Researchers confirmed that these four individuals possessed very similar genomic signatures, as this new group is now dubbed as Zagros Neolithics.

According to anthropologist and population geneticist Joachim Burger from the Johannes Gutenberg University, their genetic makeup was very distinct from modern Europeans and farmer ancestors from Anatolia and Greece.

Researchers also estimated that these two populations separated into two some 46,000 to 77,000 years ago. Even if these two ancient farming cultures did not integrate with each other, Burger adds that there was a chance that they exchanged farming knowledge among the two populations.

Past studies have suggested how a group of hunter gatherers in the Middle East have first established the concept of agriculture and farmlands some 10,000 years ago, as they migrated to Europe, Asia and Africa as they integrated themselves to local groups.

For this new study however, DNA evidence from these four individuals all originate from a unique genetic group that has never been recognized before, as scientists describe them as possessing an appearance of brown eyes, darker skin and black hair which means that none of these are related to the first farmers in Europe who are Aegeans.

(Source: yibada.com)