A new study shows prehistoric Britons apparently imported wheat 8,000 years ago, which suggests they were a step more advanced than the primitive hunter-gatherers they were thought to be and isolated from European agriculture.

Scientists discovered traces of wheat DNA near a Stone Age settlement located near the Isle of Wight off the southern coast of England. This means there was an unexpected meeting among ancient hunter-gatherers and farmers.

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The wheat DNA dated back 8,000 to 2,000 years ago, which was before the indigenous Stone Age peoples began cultivating cereals. It was also 400 years before farming was integrated in northern Germany and France. 

According study co-author Robin Allaby from the University of Warwick, scientists were surprised to discover wheat, which is a pivotal transaction in human evolution in building modern civilizations.

This connects primitive hunter-gatherers in Britain and farmers from Europe.

Allaby adds that archaeologists are perplexed by this discovery as the conventional view prior to this was that Britain was generally cut-off from Europe. Britain's Stone Age ancestors obtained wheat from trade or given as a gift or even stolen.

Scientists also uncovered DNA from trees such as oak, poplar and beech and animals such as wolves, deer, grouse and an auroch, which is a type of prehistoric cow. The mystery here is that there was no evidence of wheat pollen, which suggests it was not grown in local lands.

The location of the DNA scientists discovered was at a prehistoric site for boat building whose sediments are now 38 feet below sea level. During the last Ice Age, Britain was actually connected to Europe via land. Melting icecaps, however, brought about higher sea levels some 10,000 years ago.

Scientists believe a land bridge was present some 8,000 years ago. Farming and agriculture reached the Balkans some 8,000 to 9,000 years ago, originating from the Middle East. It was thereafter propagated throughout Europe.

This study was published in the journal, Science.

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