Expert: John J. Shea - 3/5/2004

Question
John - are the remains of early settled people at (for instance) Catal Huyuk and Lepenski Vir, beyond the scope of DNA testing - or has it actually been done, to your knowledge?
Interesting to know from where (and from whom) these pioneering societies originated for instance, or who their descendants of today might be (if any)? Tony  

Answer
Dear Tony
The human remains from Catalhoyuk (new spelling), Lepinski Vir, and most other European and West Asian Neolithic sites ought to have DNA preserved in them, though preservation will undoubtedly vary from site to site and context to context.  I have not read any published results of paleo-DNA from these sites, but a Google search of Catalhoyuk and DNA turned up a few references to ongoing research.  For up-to-date info, check out the Catalhoyuk website (http://www.catalhoyuk.com/)
In the case of Catalhoyuk, there is a long neolithic sequence in the Konya Plain that suggests continuity between Catalhoyuk and earlier local communities.  I'll venture a guess that the closest genetic match for the Catalhoyuk people will be modern-day populations of central Turkey.
Sincerely
John Shea