Genomic analysis traces 5,000-year-old population collapse in Neolithic France to systemic agricultural stress and climate shifts

Neolithic European societies likely practiced land stewardship techniques—such as controlled burning, polyculture, and seasonal mobility—that mitigated soil degradation, but these are erased in genetic narratives. Indigenous oral traditions from the Basque Country and Celtic regions describe the Neolithic transition as a period of ecological disruption, where 'the land became tired' before human populations declined. These perspectives frame collapse not as an inevitable biological failure but as a consequence of abandoning adaptive land-use practices. The genomic focus on population replacement overlooks the ecological knowledge that sustained pre-agricultural societies for millennia.

The Neolithic decline in France is part of a broader pattern of agricultural collapses during the Holocene, including the 4.2-kiloyear event (2200 BCE) that disrupted Bronze Age societies across Eurasia. Comparable transitions occurred in the Fertile Crescent (Ubaid collapse), the Indus Valley (Harappan decline), and the Americas (Adena culture's fragmentation), all linked to soil depletion and climate variability. These historical parallels reveal that agricultural intensification often triggers ecological feedback loops, leading to societal reorganization rather than linear 'progress.' The French case is a microcosm of a macro-scale pattern in early state formation.

In the Andes, the Wari Empire's collapse (circa 1000 CE) was preceded by soil erosion and terrace abandonment, mirroring France's Neolithic decline but framed as a 'civilizational collapse' in Western scholarship. Indigenous Australian agricultural practices, such as firestick farming, maintained soil fertility for 65,000 years without the ecological degradation seen in Neolithic Europe. In sub-Saharan Africa, the Bantu expansion's agricultural techniques (e.g., intercropping) allowed for sustainable land use, contrasting with Europe's monoculture-driven decline. These cross-cultural examples highlight that agricultural sustainability is not inherent to 'advanced' societies but depends on ecological knowledge and adaptive practices.

Genomic evidence from burial sites in France shows a 60% turnover in Y-chromosome lineages within 200 years, coinciding with the 4.2-kiloyear event's climatic anomalies. Stable isotope analysis of skeletons reveals a shift from diverse protein diets to cereal-heavy consumption, indicating agricultural intensification's nutritional and ecological costs. Soil micromorphology studies at Neolithic sites in the Paris Basin confirm widespread erosion and nutrient depletion during this period. These scientific methods, while robust, are often interpreted through a genetic lens that obscures the ecological mechanisms driving population change.

Neolithic cave art in southern France, such as at Pech Merle, depicts human figures alongside animals now extinct in the region, suggesting a spiritual reckoning with ecological loss. Basque and Celtic myths describe the Neolithic transition as a 'time of hunger,' where the land's fertility waned under human dominion, echoing modern ecological grief. Contemporary European artists, such as those in the 'Rewilding Europe' movement, use Neolithic collapse narratives to critique industrial agriculture's spiritual bankruptcy. These artistic and spiritual framings connect past collapses to present-day environmental ethics.

The Neolithic decline offers a cautionary tale for modern agricultural systems, where 40% of global soils are degraded and cereal monocultures dominate 75% of croplands. Scenario modeling by the FAO predicts that continued soil depletion could reduce global cereal yields by 30% by 2050, with France's wheat-producing regions particularly vulnerable. Regenerative agriculture—integrating polycultures, cover cropping, and agroforestry—could reverse these trends, as demonstrated by indigenous and small-scale farming systems. The Neolithic case underscores the need for adaptive governance that prioritizes ecological resilience over short-term productivity.

Modern European farmers, particularly in organic and agroecological movements, recognize the parallels between Neolithic soil depletion and today's agricultural crises, advocating for diversified cropping systems. Indigenous European communities, such as the Sami in Scandinavia, have long warned against monoculture's ecological risks, framing land as a living entity rather than a resource. Marginalized voices in France's rural areas—where soil degradation is accelerating—highlight how neoliberal agricultural policies exacerbate the same vulnerabilities seen 5,000 years ago. These perspectives are systematically excluded from genomic narratives that center academic institutions as sole arbiters of historical truth.