Although the focus of this essay is to discuss how DNA technology helped our understanding of human colonisation and the spread of agriculture in Europe over the past 10 000 years, it will first look at the recent African origin theory as it is relevant to show how modern humans arrived in Europe in the first place. As later discussed it will also have a bearing on the development of agriculture.
The two main hypotheses agree that Homo erectus evolved in Africa and spread to the rest of the world around 1 - 2 million years ago; it is regarding our more recent history where they disagree.…
