Demographic models predict end-Pleistocene arrival and rapid expansion of pre-agropastoralist humans in Cyprus

Abstract

Because of persisting narratives of isolation, inaccessibility, and “unattractiveness”, the initial peopling of one of the eastern Mediterranean islands is commonly regarded as a Neolithic (agro-pastoralist) phenomenon, initiated by farming populations from the mainland following demographic pressures. We show instead that Cyprus could have been permanently peopled by hunter-gatherer populations by around 14 to 13 thousand years ago, earlier than previously accepted. We also showed that this process must have involved few, large migration events (100s to 1,000s of people) that infer the intent and organization of these early humans. Our results enhance our understanding of the timing, and the climatic and demographic conditions influencing the initial peopling of Cyprus, with potential implications for other Mediterranean islands.