>>17935906
>According to a 2023 genetic study, the Skhirat-Rouazi (SKH) ancestry actually corresponds to one of the three main genetic groups interacting and progressively intermixing in northwestern Africa during the Neolithic:
>1) The first group (■), named Taforalt (TAF), going back to circa 15,000 BP and whose profile persisted well into the Neolithic, represents the autochthonous Maghrebi Upper Paleolithic substrate of hunter-gatherers (their genetic makeup is modelled as intermediate between contemporary Levantine foragers and sub-Saharan African populations)
>2) The second group (■) named Kaf Taht el-Ghar (KTG, dated 5400–4900 BCE) consists of Neolithic European agriculturists who crossed the Straight of Gibraltar and settled in North Africa around 5,500 BCE, bringing a Neolithic way of life and Cardium pottery, and marginally interbreeding with the TAF component (their genetic makeup is modelled at 72% Anatolian Neolithic, since Neolithic Europeans are the result of the demic expansion from Anatolia that accompanied the introduction of agriculture in Europe, 10% WHG and 18% Maghrebi
3) The third and last group (■) is Skhirat-Rouazi (SKH, dated 4,700–4,100 BCE), a population whose principal ancestry was introduced to Northwestern Africa during the Middle Neolithic through a westward expansion of pastoralists originating in the Levant, who entered Northeast Africa via the Sinai around 6,000 BCE, and who, around 5000 BCE, introduced animal husbandry and a distinct pottery style to Northwest Africa. This group correlates closely with the introduction of southwest Asian domesticates such as sheep, goats, and cattle, coinciding with the rise of Saharan cattle pastoralism and the appearance of Ashakar Ware pottery in the Maghreb, and may have contributed to the early dispersal of Afro-Asiatic languages across North Africa. They also admixed with local Maghrebi groups (their genetic makeup is modelled at 76% Levant Neolithic and 24% Maghrebi)
