Present-day people from England and Wales have more ancestry derived from early European farmers (EEF) than did people of the Early Bronze Age1. To understand this, here we generated genome-wide data from 793 individuals, increasing data from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age in Britain by 12-fold, and western and central Europe by 3.5-fold. Between 1000 and 875 BC, EEF ancestry increased in southern Britain (England and Wales) but not northern Britain (Scotland) due to incorporation of migrants who arrived at this time and over previous centuries, and who were genetically most similar to ancient individuals from France. These migrants contributed about half the ancestry of people of England and Wales from the Iron Age, thereby creating a plausible vector for the spread of early Celtic languages into Britain. These patterns are part of a broader trend of EEF ancestry becoming more similar across central and western Europe in the Middle to the Late Bronze Age, coincident with archaeological evidence of intensified cultural exchange2-6. There was comparatively less gene flow from continental Europe during the Iron Age, and the independent genetic trajectory in Britain is also reflected in the rise of the allele conferring lactase persistence to approximately 50% by this time compared to approximately 7% in central Europe where it rose rapidly in frequency only a millennium later. This suggests that dairy products were used in qualitatively different ways in Britain and in central Europe over this period.

AA AVALA s r o Bratislava Slovakia

Amgueddfa Cymru National Museum Wales Cardiff UK

Archaeological and Forensic Sciences University of Bradford Bradford UK

Archaeological Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences Nitra Slovakia

Archaeological Museum Dubrovnik Museums Dubrovnik Croatia

Archaeological Museum in Zagreb Zagreb Croatia

Archaeological Museum of Istria Pula Croatia

Archaeological Museum Osijek Osijek Croatia

Archaeological Museum Zadar Zadar Croatia

Archaeological Research Services Bakewell UK

Archaeology and Ancient History University of Leicester Leicester UK

Ásatárs Ltd Kecskemét Hungary

BIOMICs Research Group University of the Basque Country UPV EHU Vitoria Gasteiz Spain

British Geological Survey Keyworth Nottingham Nottinghamshire UK

Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard Cambridge MA USA

Bureau Archeologie en Bodemkwaliteit Gemeente Nijmegen Nijmegen Netherlands

Cambridge Archaeological Unit Department of Archaeology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK

Centre for Applied Bioanthropology Institute for Anthropological Research Zagreb Croatia

Centre for Human Bioarchaeology Museum of London London UK

CIAS Department of Life Sciences University of Coimbra Coimbra Portugal

Conservation Department in Šibenik Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia Šibenik Croatia

Corinium Museum Cirencester UK

Cornwall Archaeology Unit Truro UK

Cotswold Archaeology Cirencester UK

Craven Museum and Gallery Skipton UK

Damjanich János Museum Szolnok Hungary

Departament de Biologia Animal de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Bellaterra Cerdanyola del Vallés Spain

Department of Anthropology Hungarian Natural History Museum Budapest Hungary

Department of Anthropology Natural History Museum Vienna Vienna Austria

Department of Anthropology The National Museum Prague Prague Czech Republic

Department of Anthropology University of California Santa Barbara CA USA

Department of Anthropology University of Wisconsin Madison Madison WI USA

Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies Stockholm University Stockholm Sweden

Department of Archaeology Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Archaeology Faculty of Arts Ljubljana Slovenia

Department of Archaeology Dobó István Castle Museum Eger Hungary

Department of Archaeology Durham University Durham UK

Department of Archaeology University of York York UK

Department of Biological and Geographical Sciences School of Applied Sciences University of Huddersfield Huddersfield UK

Department of Biological Anthropology Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Hungary

Department of Biological Anthropology Institute of Biology Faculty of Science Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Hungary

Department of Earth Sciences Natural History Museum London UK

Department of Environmental Biology University of Rome La Sapienza Rome Italy

Department of Evolutionary Anthropology University of Vienna Vienna Austria

Department of Genetics Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA

Department of Geography Geology and Environment University of Hull Hull UK

Department of Historical Philosophical and Religious Studies Umeå University Umeå Sweden

Department of History University of Hull Hull UK

Department of Human Evolutionary Biology Harvard University Cambridge MA USA

Department of Human Genetics Leiden University Medical Center Leiden Netherlands

Department of Prehistory and Classical Antiquity The National Museum Prague Prague Czech Republic

East Dorset Antiquarian Society Dorset UK

Faculty of Archaeology Leiden University Leiden Netherlands

Faculty of Humanities University of Primorska Koper Slovenia

Geology and Geochemistry Cluster Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Amsterdam Netherlands

Geophiz biz West Heslerton UK

Groningen Institute of Archaeology Groningen University Groningen Netherlands

Group EcoPast CRETUS Area of Archaeology Department of History Universidade de Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela Spain

Grupo EvoAdapta Departamento de Ciencias Históricas Universidad de Cantabria Santander Spain

Guernsey Museums and Galleries St Peter Port UK

Hampshire Cultural Trust Winchester UK

Harvard College Cambridge MA USA

Heritage and Archaeological Research Practice Edinburgh UK

Howard Hughes Medical Institute Boston MA USA

Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences University of Vienna Vienna Austria

Hungarian National Museum Budapest Hungary

Ikerbasque Basque Foundation of Science Bilbao Spain

Independent researcher Budapest Hungary

Independent Researcher Mesterháza Hungary

Independent Researcher Soham Ely UK

INSITU S C P Centelles Barcelona Spain

Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques Préventives Paris France

Institute for Quaternary Palaeontology and Geology Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts Zagreb Croatia

Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia Conservation Centre Centre for Preventive Archaeology Ljubljana Slovenia

Institute of Archaeogenomics Research Centre for the Humanities Eötvös Loránd Research Network Budapest Hungary

Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Prague Prague Czech Republic

Institute of Archaeology Research Centre for the Humanities Eötvös Loránd Research Network Budapest Hungary

Institute of Archaeology University of Oxford Oxford UK

Institute of Archaeology Zagreb Croatia

Institute of Evolutionary Biology CSIC Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona Spain

Institute of Preservation of Archaeological Heritage of Northwest Bohemia Most Czech Republic

Institutes of Energy and the Environment Pennsylvania State University University Park PA USA

Instituto de Medicina Legal y Ciencias Forenses de Cantabria Santander Spain

Instituto Internacional de Investigaciones Prehistóricas de Cantabria Universidad de Cantabria Santander Spain

Instituto Monte Bernorio de Estudios de la Antigüedad del Cantábrico Universidad Complutense de Madrid Facultad de Geografía e Historia Departamento de Prehistoria Historia Antigua y Arqueología Madrid Spain

Jósa András Museum Nyíregyháza Hungary

Kaducej Ltd Split Croatia

Katona József Museum Hungary Kecskemét Hungary

Keswick Museum Keswick UK

Krka National Park Šibenik Croatia

Kuny Domokos Museum Tata Hungary

Leeds Museums and Galleries Leeds Discovery Centre Leeds UK

Lower Winskill Farm Langcliffe UK

Manx National Heritage Eiraght Ashoonagh Vannin Manx Museum Douglas UK

MAP Archaeological Practice Malton UK

Maritime Cultures Research Institute Department of Art Sciences and Archaeology Vrije Universiteit Brussel Brussels Belgium

Městské Muzeum v Čelákovicích Čelákovice Czech Republic

MOLES Archaeology Courtwood House Sheffield UK

MTA ELTE Research Group for Interdisciplinary Archaeology Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Hungary

Municipal Monument Preservation Institute Bratislava Bratislava Slovakia

Musee d'Histoire et d'Archeologie Vannes France

Musée de La Cour d'Or Metz France

Musée Le Vergeur Reims France

Musée Saint Remi Ville de Reims Reims France

Museo del Hombre Dominicano Santo Domingo Dominican Republic

Museum of West Bohemia Department of Prehistory Pilsen Czech Republic

National Museum of Antiquities Leiden Netherlands

National Museum of Kikinda Kikinda Serbia

National Museums Scotland Edinburgh UK

National Trust Dorset and Wiltshire Tisbury UK

National Trust For Scotland Hermiston Quay Edinburgh UK

Oxford Archaeology Oxford UK

Provinciaal Archeologisch Depot Noord Holland Castricum Netherlands

Research Department of Genetics Evolution and Environment University College London London UK

Research Laboratory for Archaeology School of Archaeology University of Oxford Oxford UK

Research Unit Analytical Environmental and Geo Chemistry Department of Chemistry Vrije Universiteit Brussel Brussels Belgium

Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed Amersfoort Netherlands

Rippl Rónai Museum Kaposvár Hungary

Rómer Flóris Museum of Art and History Győr Hungary

Royal Cornwall Museum Truro Cornwall UK

Royal Pavilion and Museums Trust Brighton UK

School of Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Manchester Manchester UK

School of History Archaeology and Religion Cardiff University Cardiff UK

School of History Classics and Archaeology Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne UK

School of History Classics and Archaeology University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK

School of Natural Sciences University of Central Lancashire Preston UK

Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre East Kilbride UK

Servizio di Bioarcheologia Museo delle Civiltà Rome Italy

Slovak National Museum Natural History Museum Bratislava Slovakia

South West Heritage Trust Somerset Heritage Centre Taunton UK

Stratum Ltd Seget Donji Croatia

Swale and Thames Archaeological Survey Company Faversham UK

Tees Archaeology Hartlepool UK

The City of Prague Museum Prague Czech Republic

The Dock Museum Barrow in Furness UK

The Novium Museum Chichester UK

The Orkney Museum Kirkwall UK

The Salisbury Museum Salisbury UK

TRACES Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales Toulouse France

Université de Franche Comté UMR Chrono Environnement Besançon France

University of Bristol Spelaeological Society Bristol UK

University of Szeged Faculty of Arts Department of Archaeology Szeged Hungary

VUhbs Archaeology VU University Amsterdam Netherlands

Walcherse Archeologische Dienst Middelburg Netherlands

Wessex Archaeology Salisbury UK

Wiltshire Museum Devizes UK

Wosinsky Mór Museum Szekszárd Hungary

Zavičajni Muzej Grada Rovinja Rovinj Croatia

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