Reference library / Sample profile

A woman buried in France in the Middle Neolithic era

Explore the recorded context, genetic comparisons and research behind this reference sample.

FranceFrance Occitanie MN

A reference profile describes this sample. It does not establish a personal or family relationship.

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AI-generated artistic reconstruction, not a photograph of the individual.

Record

Sample details

Recorded details and available lineage markers.

Individual

Le Cres individual, France

Sample ID: CRE20D

Date Range

4400 BCE - 4200 BCE

Cultural Period

France Occitanie MN

Biological Sex

Female

mtDNA Haplogroup

Y-DNA Haplogroup

Not available

Social Role

Farmer (AI estimate, era-typical)

Geography

Location

Where this individual was discovered

Country France

Locality Occitanie (South). Béziers. Le Crès

Coordinates 43.2051, 3.1308

Chronology

Date range

When this individual lived in the broader context of human history

Le Cres individual, France 4400 BCE - 4200 BCE

Context

Historical context

Background information associated with the reference record.

Region & Environment

Southern France includes Mediterranean-influenced coasts and inland river valleys where soils and water availability supported long-term cultivation. The region’s diverse terrains—plains, terraces, and upland margins—created varied opportunities for farming and herding.

Historical Context

Between roughly 4500 and 3500 BCE, European Neolithic societies consolidated agricultural economies and developed stable patterns of village life. In this broader context, southern France participated in shared Neolithic technological and stylistic traditions, while local communities maintained distinctive regional expressions in their material culture.

Populations & Lifeways

Farming households formed the foundation of lifeways. Communities managed fields and domesticated animals, and they organized daily work through regular settlement schedules rather than purely mobile subsistence. The Neolithic record commonly indicates domestic activities such as food processing, storage, and craft production, reflecting diets that combined cultivated plants with animal products.

Archaeology & Material Culture

Neolithic pottery and stone tool assemblages are among the most informative artifact categories. Ceramic styles and manufacturing choices help distinguish regional sequences, while lithic technologies show how communities procured raw materials and maintained toolkits over time. Features associated with settlement use—such as activity areas and waste deposits—provide evidence for repeated occupation and community organization.

Culture & Society

Material culture indicates shared norms across wider Neolithic networks, including recurring forms and styles in pottery and tool traditions. At the same time, regional variation suggests that communities were not interchangeable: local identities and learning traditions shaped how Neolithic practices were carried out in different landscapes.

Legacy & Transition

The Neolithic in southern France set the foundations for later developments as societies continued to transform technologies, social practices, and regional connections. Over time, changes in artifact styles and settlement organization reflect the gradual transition from Neolithic farming systems toward later periods marked by metallurgy and new exchange patterns.

Analysis

Genetic comparisons

These comparisons show genetic similarity, not identity or origin. The populations listed are those whose genomes show statistical alignment to this ancient individual.

Similarity reflects shared history, not shared identity. These are analytical comparisons, not claims about who this person was.

Modern Genetic Admixture

This analysis compares the DNA profile with present-day reference populations, showing statistical similarity to modern reference populations from different regions. The excavation site records where this individual was found, not a fixed modern genetic identity.

Europe 97.7%

Southern European 96.8%

Iberian 42.3%

Sardinian 27.6%

Italian 25.1%

Balkan 1.8%

Northwestern European 0.9%

Asia 1.4%

Northern West Asian 1.4%

Cypriot 1.4%

Africa 0.9%

North African 0.9%

North African 0.5%

Closest Modern Populations

These are the modern populations showing the closest statistical alignment to A woman buried in France in the Middle Neolithic era, ranked by genetic distance. Lower distance values indicate closer statistical similarity. Cross-region similarity can reflect shared ancestry, population movement, continuity, or later admixture.

Sardinian

2.0454