0:00:00 > 0:00:00- Subtitles
0:00:00 > 0:00:02- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:00:07 > 0:00:10- Yr Eifl in Llyn.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15- 2,000 years ago...
0:00:16 > 0:00:18- ..people lived here...
0:00:19 > 0:00:21- ..in a hill fort.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26- The hill fort was the home of - the Welsh before the Romans arrived.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31- The home of our ancestors - and our nation's forefathers.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35- There were more than - 1,000 hill forts in Wales.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39- Wales today - wouldn't have existed without them.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42- But without written records...
0:00:43 > 0:00:46- ..how much do we really know - about these people?
0:00:46 > 0:00:49- How did they come to live here?
0:00:49 > 0:00:51- Who were their ancestors?
0:00:54 > 0:00:58- There's a new way - of trying to answer those questions.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02- And its name is DNA.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04- DNA Cymru.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16- Cardiff, - Europe's youngest capital city.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21- On the outskirts of the city is one - of the biggest housing estates...
0:01:22 > 0:01:25- ..to be built - after the Second World War.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28- Trelai. Ely. My birthplace.
0:01:29 > 0:01:34- On the other side of Cowbridge Road, - Caerau, my old stomping ground.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37- This is where I went - to primary school.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40- It was an - English-medium school back then...
0:01:41 > 0:01:43- ..but now it's a Welsh school.
0:01:43 > 0:01:48- Yes, the place has changed somewhat - but it was always exciting.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51- As a child, - it was the centre of the world.
0:01:51 > 0:01:57- I had an undoubtedly - modern upbringing in a modern city.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01- But in Wales, - the past is never far away.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05- Above the houses - are the ruins of another community.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09- A community not everyone - knows about, but in its heyday...
0:02:10 > 0:02:13- ..it was one of - the biggest communities in Wales.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18- It would've dominated the landscape.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22- The perfect vantage point from - which to keep an eye on the world.
0:02:23 > 0:02:29- Standing here and surveying the view - is quite a thrill for an Ely boy.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32- Nowadays, only its ruins remain...
0:02:33 > 0:02:37- ..but the memory of its history - is encapsulated in its name.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39- Caerau (Forts).
0:02:39 > 0:02:42- Forts from the Iron Age.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45- This is - what has attracted archaeologists.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51- The people of this hill fort - were sophisticated...
0:02:51 > 0:02:54- ..though - they didn't record their history.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00- Who were they - and who were their ancestors?
0:03:02 > 0:03:05- To retrieve the answers, - we must rely on proof...
0:03:05 > 0:03:08- ..that wasn't documented - at the time.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13- Caerau and its name - is an example of that proof.
0:03:13 > 0:03:18- Linguistic proof that has - survived in the Welsh language.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23- The archaeologists' work - is another important example.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29- But as we endeavour to learn more - about our country's natives...
0:03:29 > 0:03:33- ..a new tool is becoming - even more important every day.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36- That tool is DNA.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41- DNA was the basis - of our first programme.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44- Who are the Welsh?
0:03:44 > 0:03:47- It's a simple question - with a complicated answer.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50- To discover the truth...
0:03:50 > 0:03:53- ..we had to venture - far beyond Wales.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57- The truth is, - we all belong to the same family.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59- An African family.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06- We had to trace the family's - heroic journey to Europe.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12- Throughout the centuries - and the millennia.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- Among the Iron Age people - of the Pyrenees...
0:04:15 > 0:04:18- ..were the - great-great-great-grandmothers...
0:04:19 > 0:04:21- ..of the modern Welsh female.
0:04:21 > 0:04:22- The project is ambitious.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24- The project is ambitious.- - From the north to the south.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28- From the Ice Age to the iPhone age.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33- Revealing the DNA results - of some of the nation's greats.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37- Mr Gareth Edwards, - there's no mention of New Zealand.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39- Thank goodness for that.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43- And sparking an interest - in people's genealogy.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45- I'm a Celt at heart.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47- I'm a Celt at heart.- - A Celt, I'd say.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52- But it was a project - which spawned something else too.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56- A fierce argument - from various directions.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59- Doubts about the programme - on the nation's DNA
0:04:59 > 0:05:00- UTTER NONSENSE!
0:05:01 > 0:05:04- To those familiar with - the technique of phylogeography...
0:05:04 > 0:05:06- ..it's a common argument.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11- To people like me who have used - phylogeography for 25 years or so...
0:05:11 > 0:05:15- ..it's a bit like - dealing with Creationists.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19- The foundations - of phylogeography are solid...
0:05:19 > 0:05:23- ..according to - DNA Cymru's principal scientist.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27- It's part of his daily work - at Edinburgh University.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31- This is a very routine method - that has been used widely...
0:05:31 > 0:05:34- ..to understand past population - movements of humans.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37- Phylogeography - was the underpinning...
0:05:37 > 0:05:40- ..of the out-of-Africa - theory of human origins.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46- It's a project between S4C, - the Trinity Mirror group...
0:05:47 > 0:05:50- ..publishers of the Western Mail - and the Daily Post...
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- ..and Scotland's DNA - that is conducting the tests.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58- Spit is the basis of the tests.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01- My sample's ready.
0:06:01 > 0:06:06- In this laboratory, together - with everyone's else's samples...
0:06:06 > 0:06:10- ..the DNA will go through a process - to look for special patterns...
0:06:11 > 0:06:13- ..in our genetic code.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15- It's the biggest study - of Welsh people's DNA.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20- We can form a detailed picture - of Wales's current population.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23- But it's our belief...
0:06:23 > 0:06:27- ..that the tests can also go deeper - into our ancient history...
0:06:27 > 0:06:30- ..to reveal brand new stories.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34- It's a way of looking into the past - when we look into Welsh DNA.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37- We're peeling back these layers.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44- We can try to understand - what went on in prehistory...
0:06:44 > 0:06:48- ..the people in the Bronze Age - and the so-called metal ages.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52- What the contribution - of the farming peoples were...
0:06:52 > 0:06:54- ..the peoples - who were before farming.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00- We can try to tease apart these - components in the British gene pool.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06- But not everyone agrees.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10- A team - of very influential scientists...
0:07:10 > 0:07:13- ..is trying - to dismiss our interpretation.
0:07:16 > 0:07:21- They say it's no more scientific - than creating a story.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24- But for Professor Martin Richards...
0:07:25 > 0:07:28- ..author of dozens - of academic science papers...
0:07:28 > 0:07:31- .."story" - isn't a word that deters him.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34- I regard that as an endorsement.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36- All good science is storytelling...
0:07:37 > 0:07:41- ..and storytelling is the most - interesting form of discourse...
0:07:41 > 0:07:45- ..so long as, in a scientific case, - we tell true stories.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49- Without a time machine we can't know - exactly what happened in the past.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53- But that applies - to all historical sciences...
0:07:53 > 0:07:55- ..not just to genetics.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58- We must use the present - to learn about the past.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02- Some dispute the tests' worth - to the individual.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07- Some claim we're putting - people's Welshness to the test...
0:08:08 > 0:08:13- ..and that the project is endorsing - extreme nationalism and racism.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15- Debate is healthy...
0:08:15 > 0:08:19- ..but hopefully anyone - who's watched the programme...
0:08:19 > 0:08:24- ..can clearly see that it's - not our intention to be racist.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26- Everyone is welcome to join us.
0:08:26 > 0:08:31- The tests are available to everyone, - irrespective of your background...
0:08:31 > 0:08:34- ..or how recently - you've moved to Wales.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38- Wow, that's just incredible.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42- The test's worth to the individual - is a personal matter.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44- That's too much - for my brain to take in.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47- We'll return to that - later in the programme.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52- DNA Cymru's focus is to learn more - about the nation's history...
0:08:53 > 0:08:55- ..and early results show...
0:08:55 > 0:08:59- ..that the country's genetic profile - is very typical.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03- Since our broadcast back in March...
0:09:03 > 0:09:08- ..another project - has published striking results...
0:09:08 > 0:09:12- ..based on a study - of present-day Britons.
0:09:12 > 0:09:17- Here at Oxford University, - a pioneering study is under way.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19- Who are British people?
0:09:19 > 0:09:22- It's an ongoing study - that has taken 12 years.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27- By now, they've mapped the influx - to the British Isles...
0:09:27 > 0:09:29- ..from the end of the Ice Age.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33- They've also shown that - the difference between Britons...
0:09:33 > 0:09:35- ..is very interesting.
0:09:35 > 0:09:41- But for us in Wales, it's - shed new light on our history.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43- So, first of all, Sir Walter...
0:09:44 > 0:09:47- ..tell us about the project - and how you got involved.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50- It started - with a Welsh connection.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54- I was asked to give a key lecture - for the British Academy...
0:09:54 > 0:09:59- ..where they have people who know - something about Celtic origins.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01- I lectured - on the genetics of the Celts.
0:10:02 > 0:10:07- What we're looking at is the people, - the ordinary person on the land...
0:10:07 > 0:10:12- ..and not the nobleman, - not the lords, not the warriors.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16- What genetics does is give you - a picture of people as a whole.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20- People of the British Isles, POBI.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24- By analysing - the DNA of 2,000 people...
0:10:24 > 0:10:29- ..POBI has created a map of genetic - clusters that are closely related.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32- You could say, - "What's the group of people...
0:10:33 > 0:10:36- "..that are most similar - to each other genetically?"
0:10:37 > 0:10:40- When we've got those, - what's the next most similar?
0:10:40 > 0:10:44- That's what this clustering - that leads to this map is about.
0:10:44 > 0:10:50- What about Wales and these clusters? - Have you found something remarkable?
0:10:50 > 0:10:52- Wales is an interesting story.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56- If you go down the list to - the next most different and so on...
0:10:57 > 0:10:58- ..Orkney stands out.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02- What's striking is the next - biggest different was Wales.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06- POBI and DNA Cymru are in agreement.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10- The Welsh are the closest inheritors - to the people...
0:11:10 > 0:11:15- ..who came to the Britain between - the Ice Age and the hill-fort age.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18- The two approaches - are complementary.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22- POBI has looked across the genome - at the autosomes.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25- We focused on the Y chromosome...
0:11:25 > 0:11:28- ..on our lineage - inherited down the father line.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32- By putting the two together, - you get a good overall picture.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35- But POBI suggested something else.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38- Something - which is no surprise to many of us.
0:11:38 > 0:11:43- The genetics of Northwalians - and Southwalians are different too.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47- There are more - genetic differences between them...
0:11:47 > 0:11:51- ..than there are between people - in Kent and northern Scotland.
0:11:51 > 0:11:56- POBI's findings about the - inhabitants before the Romans...
0:11:56 > 0:11:58- ..is quite surprising.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00- In the Celtic cultures...
0:12:00 > 0:12:04- ..of Northern Ireland, Scotland, - Wales and Cornwall...
0:12:04 > 0:12:10- ..we see genetic groups in each - region but they're different groups.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14- Although there are - similarities in culture...
0:12:15 > 0:12:17- ..genetically they're different.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21- The Cornish are more similar - to the English than the Welsh.
0:12:21 > 0:12:26- The People of the British Isles - and I differ in the interpretation.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31- They were looking to check whether - the Welsh and the Scottish...
0:12:31 > 0:12:34- ..were more closely related - to one another...
0:12:34 > 0:12:38- ..than either was to the English, - which is a question.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43- But if the English themselves had - a significant Celtic component...
0:12:43 > 0:12:48- ..which they do, then that question - becomes a bit more muddled.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52- POBI believes - that it would've been possible...
0:12:52 > 0:12:57- ..to differentiate between the DNA - of those in a North Wales fort...
0:12:57 > 0:13:02- ..and the DNA of the inhabitants of - Caerau in a South Wales hill fort.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06- But the genetics of both groups - are very different...
0:13:06 > 0:13:10- ..from the DNA of people - in Cornwall, Scotland and Ireland.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15- The outcome of the research...
0:13:15 > 0:13:17- ..conducted by POBI...
0:13:17 > 0:13:22- ..suggests there's no - close connection between the Celts.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26- However, DNA Cymru's research - supports the notion...
0:13:26 > 0:13:28- ..that we're still cousins.
0:13:31 > 0:13:31- .
0:13:36 > 0:13:36- Subtitles
0:13:36 > 0:13:38- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:13:40 > 0:13:42- Wales, 2,000 years ago.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50- The tribes of Ancient Britain - lived on the land.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54- They farmed, hunted and fished.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59- There are no written accounts - of their lives...
0:13:59 > 0:14:01- ..but their home was the hill fort.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05- But who were these people?
0:14:06 > 0:14:11- Descendants of the first people who - came to Britain after the Ice Age?
0:14:15 > 0:14:18- Or were they great-grandchildren - of the first farmers...
0:14:19 > 0:14:24- ..who came thousands of years later - to start our farming tradition?
0:14:24 > 0:14:29- Or were they the children of those - who came later still...
0:14:29 > 0:14:33- ..who brought the secrets - of smelting metal with them?
0:14:33 > 0:14:36- A new culture, - and one which we refer to as Celtic.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42- Our research suggests - that the hill fort's population...
0:14:42 > 0:14:44- ..was a mix of the three groups.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48- The early pioneers, the farmers...
0:14:48 > 0:14:51- ..and the metal workers.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55- Aided by three people - who've taken DNA Cymru's test...
0:14:55 > 0:14:58- ..namely Ken Owens, - Caryl Parry Jones and Roy Noble...
0:14:59 > 0:15:04- ..we'll focus on the history - - the history of our nation's roots.
0:15:04 > 0:15:09- As you age, these questions arise - and they become more important...
0:15:09 > 0:15:11- ..and more frequent.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15- Who are you? Where do you come from? - Where are you going?
0:15:15 > 0:15:18- More than anything, - what's your background?
0:15:18 > 0:15:20- There's far more interest nowadays.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23- There's far more interest nowadays.- - Throughout the world...
0:15:23 > 0:15:29- ..more than two million people have - taken tests similar to DNA Cymru's.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33- Tests on the DNA - we inherit from our parents.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37- As the mother and father - pass on the DNA...
0:15:37 > 0:15:40- ..98% of it gets mixed up...
0:15:40 > 0:15:42- ..and re-combined all over again.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45- It's hard to tell - who it's come from...
0:15:45 > 0:15:48- ..looking back over the generations.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52- So the main focus - is that small percentage of DNA...
0:15:52 > 0:15:56- ..which is transferred - without getting mixed up...
0:15:56 > 0:16:01- ..from father to son, and - to his sons - the Y chromosome DNA.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06- Another fragment, - the mitochondrial DNA...
0:16:06 > 0:16:10- ..which passes unchanged - from mother to children...
0:16:10 > 0:16:12- ..and from her daughters - to their children.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18- Scientists - can identify genetic markers.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22- Small changes that have occurred - through the generations.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27- A technique - called phylogeography is used...
0:16:27 > 0:16:32- ..to map its course against - mankind's journey around the world.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38- Genetic markers split mankind - into different groups.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42- The scientific term for this - is haplogroup.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47- But tracing the bloodline - on each side of the family...
0:16:47 > 0:16:50- ..poses a problem for us.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54- By focusing on the mother - of your mother's mother...
0:16:54 > 0:16:56- ..and father - of your father's father...
0:16:57 > 0:16:59- ..we ignore many other ancestors.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02- As we look back - through the generations...
0:17:02 > 0:17:05- ..there are - hundreds of thousands of them.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10- What are the tests' purpose - and what forms the foundation...
0:17:11 > 0:17:15- ..for the historical conclusions - of phylogeography?
0:17:15 > 0:17:19- The great majority of scientists - believe that phylogeography...
0:17:20 > 0:17:22- ..is an ordinary method - amongst many...
0:17:23 > 0:17:25- ..to try to understand our past.
0:17:25 > 0:17:30- It's used in plant and animal - genetics, in human genetics...
0:17:30 > 0:17:34- ..even in virus genetics - to try to understand...
0:17:34 > 0:17:36- ..where a flu virus has come from.
0:17:37 > 0:17:38- No-one can argue...
0:17:38 > 0:17:43- ..that the distribution of different - genetic lineages across geography...
0:17:43 > 0:17:47- ..does not contain information - about genetic ancestry.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50- Phylogeography - was the underpinning...
0:17:51 > 0:17:55- ..of the out-of-Africa theory - of modern human origins.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00- Long before archaeological evidence - confirmed this...
0:18:00 > 0:18:04- ..phylogeography - identified a form of family tree...
0:18:04 > 0:18:07- ..which traced - the mitochondrial DNA...
0:18:07 > 0:18:11- ..of all women on the planet - back to one mother in Africa...
0:18:11 > 0:18:13- ..200,000 years ago.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16- This isn't the only example.
0:18:17 > 0:18:18- The mitochondrial tree...
0:18:19 > 0:18:22- ..shows the point at which - lineages start branching.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26- For example, amongst Native - Americans 15,000 years ago...
0:18:26 > 0:18:29- ..which fits well - with the archaeological evidence.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33- Those lineages - that mostly come out of East Asia.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37- Or you can see lineages that start - branching out in to the Pacific...
0:18:37 > 0:18:40- ..about 3,000 years ago, - which are lineages...
0:18:41 > 0:18:44- ..that come out of southeast Asia - and the New Guinea region.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48- Many examples, not just - the out-of-Africa example...
0:18:48 > 0:18:50- ..which is supported by evidence.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56- For reasons - she doesn't yet understand...
0:18:57 > 0:18:59- ..I've come to the Severn estuary...
0:18:59 > 0:19:02- ..for a stroll - with Caryl Parry Jones...
0:19:02 > 0:19:05- ..to reveal the results - of her ancient DNA.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08- We're all aware - of two generations ago...
0:19:09 > 0:19:13- ..but we know mostly nothing - about our ancestors before that.
0:19:13 > 0:19:19- The prospect of tracing prehistory - is hard to imagine, to be honest.
0:19:19 > 0:19:24- Well, Caryl, here are the results - of your mitochondrial DNA.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26- Your mother's lineage.
0:19:26 > 0:19:32- "The U haplogroup was common amongst - the first people in Europe...
0:19:32 > 0:19:34- "..after the Ice Age."
0:19:34 > 0:19:35- After the Ice Age.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38- After the Ice Age.- - Well, well.
0:19:39 > 0:19:45- 10,000 years ago, people returned - to Wales to hunt as the ice melted.
0:19:46 > 0:19:51- But how scientific is linking the - DNA of an individual like Caryl...
0:19:51 > 0:19:54- ..to the history of ancient hunters?
0:19:56 > 0:20:00- Only 1% of Caryl's DNA - is found in the mitochondria.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04- But it's passed on to her - through her mother's line...
0:20:04 > 0:20:08- ..with few changes throughout the - millennia from the Mesolithic Era.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10- I've heard critics describe...
0:20:11 > 0:20:14- ..identifying your Y chromosome - lineage as homeopathy.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17- It's simply false.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21- It may be only telling you a very - tiny fraction of your ancestry...
0:20:22 > 0:20:25- ..but it's something - people can fix on to.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29- It's nice having - that tiny bit of information...
0:20:29 > 0:20:34- ..which I never thought - in a million years belonged to me.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38- Any link with - any part of a person's history...
0:20:38 > 0:20:40- ..is worth its weight in gold.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43- Life is short...
0:20:43 > 0:20:47- ..so any information - about where we've come from...
0:20:47 > 0:20:50- ..is something very precious.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53- To bring - the era's history to life...
0:20:53 > 0:20:57- ..we've arranged for Caryl to visit - a site at the Severn estuary...
0:20:58 > 0:21:02- ..with Dr Ffion Reynolds - from Cardiff University.
0:21:02 > 0:21:07- Goldcliff - is a prime area of significance...
0:21:07 > 0:21:09- ..from the Mesolithic Era.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12- Evidence is in short supply...
0:21:12 > 0:21:16- ..but one of the things - that's survived from this era...
0:21:16 > 0:21:19- ..is a collection of footprints.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22- This is a child's footprint.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26- That's the big toe, - the other toes...
0:21:27 > 0:21:28- ..and that's the heel.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31- A small child's footprint.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35- It brings - the Mesolithic Era to life.
0:21:35 > 0:21:40- Many footprints - are facing that way...
0:21:40 > 0:21:43- ..and others are heading - in this direction too...
0:21:44 > 0:21:48- ..to an area - where they fished with fish traps.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51- They collected the fish - from the traps...
0:21:51 > 0:21:54- ..and headed back this way - to the camp...
0:21:54 > 0:21:56- ..around 7,500 years ago.
0:21:56 > 0:21:57- ..around 7,500 years ago.- - Whoa!
0:21:58 > 0:22:01- Wow, that's just incredible.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05- That's too much - for my brain to take in!
0:22:05 > 0:22:08- Just imagine a small child, - barefoot...
0:22:08 > 0:22:12- ..running back and forth with - Mam and Dad and all his friends.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17- Caryl's connection with Mesolithic - women goes way, way back in time.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21- But the era's men - have also left their mark...
0:22:22 > 0:22:24- ..on Wales today.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27- One of the oldest lineages - is rather rare.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31- It's a lineage called S185. - It's just the marker name.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35- It's really rare. - Only 0.2% of Welshmen carry this.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37- It's at least 6,000 years old.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40- This is before farming - from the Mesolithic Era...
0:22:40 > 0:22:43- ..a very distant time in the past.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47- We still see a few people - who carry these types.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51- Caryl's results from her mother's - lineage are far more common.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55- We're seeing slightly different - male and female histories...
0:22:55 > 0:22:59- ..from looking at the Y chromosome - and the mitochondrial DNA.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02- They're - interesting genomes to study.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05- It speaks to a history of males...
0:23:05 > 0:23:08- ..that is different - from a history of females.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13- Why did people move around?
0:23:13 > 0:23:17- What were they searching for? What - was the purpose of their migration?
0:23:17 > 0:23:21- People from the Mesolithic Era - were hunter-gatherers.
0:23:22 > 0:23:23- The biggest difference...
0:23:24 > 0:23:28- ..between them and those who - came next, the Neolithic farmers...
0:23:28 > 0:23:33- ..is that they moved around - and moved seasonally to find food.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37- There was an island behind here...
0:23:37 > 0:23:39- ..and a forest at the top...
0:23:40 > 0:23:44- ..where people could - hide in the bushes and hunt deer.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48- Trees and deer were - relatively new things, were they?
0:23:48 > 0:23:50- Yes, because the ice had gone...
0:23:51 > 0:23:53- ..the temperature was rising...
0:23:53 > 0:23:57- ..there was lots of vegetation - and lots of new foods.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01- I can imagine - all these people on this island...
0:24:01 > 0:24:05- ..but was there more to life - than eating, hunting...
0:24:05 > 0:24:07- ..and averting danger?
0:24:07 > 0:24:11- I think people in the Mesolithic Era - were very clever.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15- They were quite sophisticated.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18- They could make tools from flint...
0:24:19 > 0:24:21- ..which is hard to do nowadays.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25- Their technology - was complex and sophisticated.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28- Some people were performers.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32- Maybe your ancestors - were performers.
0:24:32 > 0:24:37- A Mesolithic noson lawen! Some - would argue it hasn't move on!
0:24:40 > 0:24:41- .
0:24:44 > 0:24:44- *
0:24:44 > 0:24:49- The hill fort, the ancient home - of the tribes living in Wales...
0:24:49 > 0:24:51- ..before the arrival of the Romans.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56- We're tracing the ancestral history - of the people who lived there.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03- 10,000 years previously, - after the Ice Age...
0:25:03 > 0:25:06- ..people returned to Wales - and survived...
0:25:07 > 0:25:12- ..by moving around to hunt for their - food and search for wild plants.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19- Later, some 6,000 years ago...
0:25:19 > 0:25:21- ..things changed.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29- This was the age - of ancient monuments...
0:25:31 > 0:25:35- ..such as that - in Pentre Ifan, Pembrokeshire.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39- In Bryn Celli Ddu on Anglesey, - there's more proof...
0:25:40 > 0:25:43- ..about the big changes - that happened in Wales.
0:25:43 > 0:25:48- Somehow, people had found the time - and resources to settle here...
0:25:49 > 0:25:51- ..to build on a grand scale...
0:25:52 > 0:25:55- ..and reflect - on the world around them.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58- There was one principal reason...
0:25:58 > 0:26:00- ..for their prosperity.
0:26:01 > 0:26:02- Farming.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06- Growing crops - and rearing tame animals.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11- Looking around Anglesey nowadays...
0:26:12 > 0:26:17- ..one can understand why farming, - using the land to generate wealth...
0:26:18 > 0:26:20- ..and sustain society made sense.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23- This landscape - wouldn't have existed.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26- There wouldn't have been - towns and villages...
0:26:26 > 0:26:30- ..if people had to constantly move - around to search for sustenance.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35- It's claimed that agriculture began - in the Middle East...
0:26:35 > 0:26:38- ..where the land was very fertile.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41- But how did farming reach Wales?
0:26:41 > 0:26:45- Did people - share ideas between communities...
0:26:45 > 0:26:49- ..until neighbouring areas - realized the benefits?
0:26:49 > 0:26:53- Or did the people themselves move?
0:26:53 > 0:26:58- That is to say, was there a new wave - of migration to the British Isles?
0:26:59 > 0:27:04- Here in Bryn Celli Ddu, the National - Museum has organised activities...
0:27:05 > 0:27:07- ..to celebrate the Solstice...
0:27:08 > 0:27:12- ..when the light of dawn - illuminates an unusual stone...
0:27:13 > 0:27:16- ..at the back of the chamber.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21- People can see the type of clothes - and tools used by the new farmers...
0:27:21 > 0:27:23- ..who erected the monument.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27- Archaeologists are here too.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30- They've unearthed - a stone axe from France...
0:27:30 > 0:27:34- ..among other objects - which proves the earliest farmers...
0:27:35 > 0:27:38- ..must have traded overseas.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41- From the pattern - on the stone itself...
0:27:41 > 0:27:44- ..we can say that - the architects of Bryn Celli Ddu...
0:27:45 > 0:27:49- ..shared ideas with people as far - away as the Orkneys and Portugal.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52- Every shred of evidence...
0:27:53 > 0:27:56- ..about - our ancient history is precious.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58- It sparks the imagination...
0:27:58 > 0:28:02- ..and it also leads - archaeologists and scientists...
0:28:02 > 0:28:05- ..to re-evaluate - the lives of our ancestors.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10- The most exciting information - is currently being sought...
0:28:10 > 0:28:12- ..from DNA research.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15- Here at Trinity College, Dublin...
0:28:15 > 0:28:20- ..they're extracting DNA - from ancient bones.
0:28:20 > 0:28:25- We're sequencing 30 samples across - the whole prehistory of Ireland.
0:28:25 > 0:28:30- It's almost like dropping - a plumb line through history.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33- Tests on the ancient Irish...
0:28:33 > 0:28:38- ..is likely to shed light on the - big questions of Welsh history too.
0:28:38 > 0:28:43- Enabled by marvellous new machines - that can sequence human genomes...
0:28:43 > 0:28:45- ..in days as opposed to decades...
0:28:46 > 0:28:50- ..we're at a time when questions - will be addressed quickly.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53- Ancient DNA has been a game changer.
0:28:53 > 0:28:58- We're now at the next level - in our understanding of the past.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01- We can make the most - of ancient DNA by comparing it...
0:29:02 > 0:29:04- ..to modern DNA as well.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08- Gathering all the information - allows you to learn the most.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12- There's one problem about looking - at the present to study the past.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16- That is, essentially, - the past is a different country.
0:29:16 > 0:29:22- That the models we bring up from the - present to understand the past...
0:29:22 > 0:29:25- ..may miss big things.
0:29:28 > 0:29:33- The big thing for me - was the genome of Otzi, the Iceman.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38- When Otzi's body was discovered - in the Alps in 1991...
0:29:39 > 0:29:44- ..it provided a golden opportunity - for scientists to study his DNA.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47- When they compared his genetics...
0:29:47 > 0:29:50- ..to modern individuals - across the whole of Europe...
0:29:51 > 0:29:53- ..he didn't look Alpine.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57- Otzi's DNA profile was different - from that of the first hunters...
0:29:58 > 0:30:01- ..who settled in the Alps - after the Ice Age.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03- The DNA found in the bones...
0:30:03 > 0:30:07- ..of the first farmers - of Central Europe was the same.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09- Those first farmers...
0:30:09 > 0:30:14- ..like Otzi, - tend to look something like...
0:30:14 > 0:30:16- ..southern Mediterranean.
0:30:16 > 0:30:20- The hunter-gatherers before them - look completely different.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25- When farming came in, something - changed. It came with people.
0:30:26 > 0:30:27- These great changes...
0:30:28 > 0:30:32- ..that seem to be happening - on the European mainland...
0:30:32 > 0:30:35- ..these great waves of migration...
0:30:35 > 0:30:38- ..do those waves - wash all the way up...
0:30:38 > 0:30:42- ..to the shores of - the westernmost islands of Europe?
0:30:43 > 0:30:48- And that question is of interest - to someone in today's world.
0:30:48 > 0:30:53- Roy Noble, who's going to hear - his DNA results, broadcast on air...
0:30:53 > 0:30:56- ..during his radio show - on Radio Wales.
0:30:56 > 0:31:00- Scientists believe - that your sub-haplogroup, G2a...
0:31:00 > 0:31:02- ..was found in the first people...
0:31:03 > 0:31:06- ..to bring farming to Europe - from the near east.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09- See? We were always spreading good!
0:31:11 > 0:31:13- Linking to this G2a - sub-haplogroup...
0:31:14 > 0:31:16- ..in 1991...
0:31:16 > 0:31:21- ..they found a body, - later named Otzi, the Iceman...
0:31:21 > 0:31:24- Otzi? A relative, I know it!
0:31:25 > 0:31:27- Otzi the Iceman, right.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30- You share that sub-haplogroup.
0:31:30 > 0:31:35- Following the programme, - I discussed Otzi further with Roy.
0:31:35 > 0:31:37- You've received the results.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40- Is it a surprise?
0:31:40 > 0:31:43- Yes, it is, - because we're all over the place.
0:31:43 > 0:31:48- The G haplogroup is rare in Wales. - Does that mean we're special?
0:31:49 > 0:31:53- It's more common in Central Europe - and the Caucasus Mountains.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56- We were the earliest farmers.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58- We brought farming here.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00- The first farmers, you see.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06- Roy's results - put him amongst those...
0:32:06 > 0:32:09- ..who branched out - across ancient Europe.
0:32:09 > 0:32:14- He's returned to familiar territory, - to the Black Mountains...
0:32:15 > 0:32:18- ..to reflect on his origins.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23- As a child, - you don't think about ancestry...
0:32:23 > 0:32:26- ..and tracing - your genealogy down the ages...
0:32:26 > 0:32:30- ..but as you get older you realize - what you're walking over...
0:32:30 > 0:32:35- ..who had been there before you - and what their lives were like.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38- You're used to - going back centuries...
0:32:38 > 0:32:41- ..but now you're going back - thousands of years.
0:32:42 > 0:32:46- It's hard to take in. You're going - back to places like Anatolia.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49- You're talking about Russia, - Georgia, Iraq, Turkey.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53- The first farmers - came through the Alps to do that.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56- They found Otzi the Iceman - in a cave in the Alps.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59- They tell me - he was one of the family!
0:33:02 > 0:33:04- That makes me feel pretty special.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07- I'm somewhat of a pedigree!
0:33:08 > 0:33:10- I've been searching - for a pedigree all my life.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14- Roy's pedigree - is relatively rare in Wales today.
0:33:14 > 0:33:18- Many more men belong to - a haplogroup that came to Wales...
0:33:18 > 0:33:21- ..after the first farmers.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23- What was their habitat?
0:33:27 > 0:33:27- .
0:33:29 > 0:33:29- Subtitles
0:33:29 > 0:33:31- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:33:31 > 0:33:35- If we talk about roots, Ken, - how would you define roots?
0:33:35 > 0:33:39- Welsh hooker Ken Owens - is next to help us...
0:33:39 > 0:33:44- ..trace our ancient history - by taking DNA Cymru's test...
0:33:44 > 0:33:46- ..and sharing - his family's background.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49- It's quite easy on my father's side.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53- Most of the family's - from the Carmarthen area...
0:33:53 > 0:33:55- ..and Carmarthenshire.
0:33:55 > 0:33:59- I have your results here, so let's - find out exactly where you're from.
0:33:59 > 0:34:01- I'm looking forward.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05- But before Ken can understand - the significance of the result...
0:34:06 > 0:34:11- ..we must meet a new group of people - who brought a revolution to Wales.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14- The revolutionary smelting process.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19- The barren steppe of eastern Europe - was the starting point...
0:34:19 > 0:34:24- ..for people's migration, according - to the latest DNA research.
0:34:24 > 0:34:28- Having established themselves - in Central Europe...
0:34:28 > 0:34:32- ..it's claimed that - the Beaker People came to Britain...
0:34:32 > 0:34:35- ..straight from Austria - and Switzerland.
0:34:35 > 0:34:40- But these days, focus shifts to the - sea as the world's ancient highway.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45- Trade was possible - along the Atlantic coast...
0:34:45 > 0:34:47- ..from Iberia to Scotland.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51- Is that - how the Beaker People came to Wales?
0:34:51 > 0:34:56- Evidence suggests that smelting - skills were introduced to Wales...
0:34:56 > 0:35:00- ..from the sea, as is evident - in the hills above Cardigan Bay.
0:35:01 > 0:35:07- This is the barren Ystwyth Valley, - inhabited only by sheep.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09- But there's - something else under foot.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13- Malachite, a copper mineral.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17- It was the metal - in this colourful stone...
0:35:17 > 0:35:21- ..that attracted those people - from Europe to this location...
0:35:21 > 0:35:23- ..4,000 years ago.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27- The tools they used - to dig for this mineral...
0:35:27 > 0:35:31- ..can still be found - above our heads here.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37- The tools - have come from the seaside.
0:35:37 > 0:35:42- Pebbles were transported here - to serve as axes to dig.
0:35:42 > 0:35:47- It might well have been sailors who - brought the new age to Ceredigion.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53- The importance of the sea, even - though we're high above sea level...
0:35:54 > 0:35:56- ..is obvious.
0:35:56 > 0:36:00- It's hard to imagine how these ideas - would've been introduced...
0:36:00 > 0:36:02- ..without people migrating.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07- According to Professor Koch...
0:36:08 > 0:36:13- ..the Beaker People transformed - the structure of ancient society.
0:36:13 > 0:36:17- Another group of people - must've come, as well as new ideas.
0:36:18 > 0:36:23- It's hard to say many people - without more evidence...
0:36:23 > 0:36:27- ..in the form of bones and DNA, - of course...
0:36:27 > 0:36:32- ..but it's impossible to believe - that all these changes happened...
0:36:32 > 0:36:36- ..without people - moving from place to place.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41- The technique that inspired - the metal age was very inventive.
0:36:41 > 0:36:47- Archaeologists can recreate - the process with simple tools.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51- At the bottom is a fire which - is about 1100 degrees Centigrade.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58- In the fire - is some crushed up copper ore.
0:36:58 > 0:37:04- This is the mineral that was mined - at top of the hill in front of us...
0:37:05 > 0:37:07- ..about 4,000 years ago.
0:37:08 > 0:37:10- So that's the copper?
0:37:11 > 0:37:13- It's hot as well. - Do you want to feel it?
0:37:14 > 0:37:17- It's OK, you can hold it. - Freshly made copper.
0:37:17 > 0:37:18- It's so heavy.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21- It's hard to believe, isn't it?
0:37:22 > 0:37:26- A piece of copper, - and this is gleaming.
0:37:27 > 0:37:32- These modern ruins show that - men have resumed mining recently.
0:37:32 > 0:37:38- But Wales has inherited more than an - industry from the original pioneers.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42- The Beaker People - were cultured leaders.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46- Very influential people - were moving in.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50- The industry spread across Wales - and Britain as a whole...
0:37:50 > 0:37:53- ..and the majority - of western Europe.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56- Copper didn't happen everywhere.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00- If people were moving in - with a copper industry...
0:38:00 > 0:38:04- ..they had to create a network...
0:38:05 > 0:38:07- ..to connect places - that were far apart...
0:38:08 > 0:38:12- ..which raises the question - of how they communicated.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15- Did they use - a common language among them?
0:38:16 > 0:38:21- The Beaker People came from - the far steppe of eastern Europe.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25- Their language laid the foundations - of every modern language...
0:38:26 > 0:38:28- ..including Welsh.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30- Somewhere among them...
0:38:30 > 0:38:34- ..was a baby boy - born with a new genetic marker.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38- A marker that is nowadays found - within the Celtic nations.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42- It has a very young age, - possibly post-Neolithic...
0:38:42 > 0:38:44- ..so it'd fit in - with the copper age...
0:38:44 > 0:38:47- ..and with the age - of the Beaker People.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51- What we need is more ancient DNA - from Britain, and indeed, Wales...
0:38:52 > 0:38:57- ..from Beaker skeletons to add - more certainty to this hypothesis.
0:39:01 > 0:39:07- One skeleton from the Beaker age was - found in the Wrexham area in 1958.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11- Ever since then, the Brymbo Man's - been a topic of discussion...
0:39:11 > 0:39:14- ..for those - who want to understand...
0:39:14 > 0:39:17- ..how ancient people - came to settle here.
0:39:17 > 0:39:23- Before scientists used DNA - to study people's migration...
0:39:23 > 0:39:27- ..and the differences between them - in prehistory...
0:39:27 > 0:39:33- ..archaeologists studied skulls - to extract the same information.
0:39:33 > 0:39:39- They came to the conclusion - that graves in the Neolithic Age...
0:39:39 > 0:39:41- ..included long skulls.
0:39:41 > 0:39:47- Graves in the Bronze Age included - round skulls like the Brymbo Man's.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52- It was evidence enough...
0:39:52 > 0:39:56- ..to prove that different people - had settled in Wales.
0:39:57 > 0:40:02- DNA tests could reveal - more of Brymbo Man's secrets...
0:40:02 > 0:40:06- ..but archaeologist Rhys Mwyn - has plenty to say already...
0:40:06 > 0:40:11- ..about the skeleton that was - carefully buried in the Bronze Age.
0:40:11 > 0:40:13- He was five foot eight in height.
0:40:14 > 0:40:15- Yes, he was similar to us.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19- It's a mistake to think - they were all dwarves.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21- He has a great set of teeth.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25- They ate meat - and I'm sure they gnawed at things.
0:40:25 > 0:40:31- They didn't bury people individually - like this before this era...
0:40:31 > 0:40:34- ..with personal items - such as a beaker.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38- It proves that new people - had come to Wales, doesn't it?
0:40:38 > 0:40:42- We need to tread carefully - when we talk about eras and so on.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44- We're quick to date everything.
0:40:44 > 0:40:48- They used metal - in the Bronze Age, which is true...
0:40:48 > 0:40:51- ..but the stone knife - is still in use.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54- These eras blend in to one another.
0:40:54 > 0:40:58- There are no doors - to go in and out of.
0:40:58 > 0:41:03- Here's a recreation - of one of the Beaker People.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06- Who were these people?
0:41:07 > 0:41:09- Were they recent incomers...
0:41:09 > 0:41:12- ..or had they been here - for centuries?
0:41:12 > 0:41:15- It's a good question - because the tradition changes.
0:41:15 > 0:41:20- There are exchanges, - commerce and migration.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24- What's not so easy to define...
0:41:24 > 0:41:26- ..is the number - of people who move...
0:41:27 > 0:41:29- ..in order to bring about change.
0:41:29 > 0:41:33- You're not talking about - an entire population...
0:41:33 > 0:41:35- ..of different races.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39- You're talking about adopting ideas - and sharing ideas too.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44- I tend to think of it - as exchanging ideas...
0:41:45 > 0:41:47- ..and a small amount of migration.
0:41:49 > 0:41:54- But from our tests conducted on the - DNA we inherit from our fathers...
0:41:54 > 0:41:56- ..the Y chromosome DNA...
0:41:56 > 0:42:00- ..suggest that new genetic markers - appear in the Bronze Age.
0:42:01 > 0:42:06- It's possible that the Bronze Age - was a time of great inequality.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08- That's when - inequality arrived in Europe.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12- It may be that we have - these patriarchal societies...
0:42:13 > 0:42:17- ..arriving in the Bronze Age - in which small numbers of men...
0:42:17 > 0:42:20- ..left descendants - to future generations.
0:42:20 > 0:42:25- It appears the Beaker men replaced - the men who lived in Wales...
0:42:25 > 0:42:27- ..before the metal ages.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30- One simple way - to replace lineages...
0:42:30 > 0:42:33- ..is to kill people - who are already there.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36- We're talking about men - in particular...
0:42:36 > 0:42:39- ..because we're talking about - the Y chromosome.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42- I don't know - if there was violence involved.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44- They certainly outbred them.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48- They had more children, - generation by generation...
0:42:48 > 0:42:54- ..till such time as now, 71% of - Wales descend from these lineages.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57- It's likely that Ken Owens...
0:42:57 > 0:43:01- ..is a descendent - of one of these new Britons.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03- Your father's lineage...
0:43:04 > 0:43:07- ..is R1b-S145 Pretani.
0:43:07 > 0:43:09- That doesn't mean a great deal!
0:43:10 > 0:43:13- The haplogroup - is more common in Wales...
0:43:13 > 0:43:17- ..and is rare - outside the British Isles.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20- This haplogroup came to Wales...
0:43:20 > 0:43:22- ..with Beaker People migration.
0:43:24 > 0:43:27- Your mother's lineage is H1.
0:43:27 > 0:43:31- It became more common across Europe - with the migration of Beaker People.
0:43:31 > 0:43:33- Your sub-haplogroup, H1c1...
0:43:34 > 0:43:37- ..is more common in Wales - compared to the rest of Britain.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40- That's interesting.
0:43:40 > 0:43:44- As a proud Welshman, it's nice to - hear my ancestors are from Wales...
0:43:45 > 0:43:47- ..and that they originated here.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50- I hope it's prompted you - to research further.
0:43:51 > 0:43:55- I'm interested in history, - so I'll definitely dig deeper.
0:43:55 > 0:43:58- The story of the Beaker People...
0:43:58 > 0:44:02- ..is the final chapter in the - history of migration to Wales...
0:44:02 > 0:44:05- ..between the Ice Age - and the Roman Era.
0:44:05 > 0:44:11- Which brings us back here, to the - hill fort, the start of our journey.
0:44:11 > 0:44:13- 2,000 years later...
0:44:13 > 0:44:15- ..we can't say for certain...
0:44:16 > 0:44:19- ..what the lineage of - those people who lived here was...
0:44:20 > 0:44:24- ..but DNA Cymru's tests - conducted on 1,000 people today...
0:44:24 > 0:44:29- ..gives an idea of a similar pattern - among our nation's ancestors.
0:44:29 > 0:44:35- There are men today who have - inherited the Y chromosome DNA...
0:44:35 > 0:44:40- ..from the hunters who came to - northern Europe after the Ice Age.
0:44:41 > 0:44:45- But they are in the minority - - less than 1%.
0:44:46 > 0:44:51- Then there's Roy Noble, - a descendant of the first farmers.
0:44:52 > 0:44:58- There are more of them, but - they only make up 3% of the total.
0:44:59 > 0:45:03- Most Welsh people today - are in Ken Owens' camp.
0:45:03 > 0:45:08- Their Y chromosome DNA - is derived from the Beaker People.
0:45:08 > 0:45:12- The figure is more than 70%.
0:45:12 > 0:45:17- If we think about the female history - and the mitochondrial side...
0:45:17 > 0:45:19- ..we see a different picture.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23- Very old lineages, - many more of them.
0:45:24 > 0:45:26- More input from longer ago.
0:45:27 > 0:45:29- Many more Welsh women...
0:45:29 > 0:45:31- ..have mitochondrial DNA...
0:45:32 > 0:45:37- ..belonging to a haplogroup that - was here before the Beaker People.
0:45:40 > 0:45:44- In this programme, Caryl Parry Jones - has learnt a little...
0:45:44 > 0:45:47- ..about the early history - of Welsh women.
0:45:47 > 0:45:53- She's now meeting close friend, - journalist Carolyn Hitt.
0:45:53 > 0:45:57- Carolyn was initially very critical - of DNA Cymru's project...
0:45:57 > 0:46:00- ..but taking the test - has changed her mind.
0:46:00 > 0:46:05- This takes you back through your - mother's mother's mother's mother.
0:46:05 > 0:46:08- That was emotional for me - after losing my mum.
0:46:09 > 0:46:13- I'm not going to be a mother now, - yet there's something inside...
0:46:13 > 0:46:15- ..however infinitesimal...
0:46:15 > 0:46:18- ..that links me through all these - women thousands of miles away...
0:46:19 > 0:46:21- ..going back millennia...
0:46:21 > 0:46:25- We're talking - thousands of years ago.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28- And to know - that that long ago is in me.
0:46:28 > 0:46:32- That's what is it with history, - it's a textbooky thing...
0:46:32 > 0:46:34- ..and then it becomes personal.
0:46:34 > 0:46:38- My results show I go back - to what is now modern Pakistan...
0:46:39 > 0:46:41- ..to a female-dominated tribe.
0:46:41 > 0:46:45- It shows that we're all part - of a big human family.
0:46:45 > 0:46:49- I'd like to think this diversity - that we've been celebrating...
0:46:50 > 0:46:54- ..is still going to be part of this - gorgeous, diverse nation we are.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57- Diversity.
0:46:57 > 0:46:58- Cheers.
0:47:01 > 0:47:03- The variations in our DNA...
0:47:03 > 0:47:07- ..are the signs of the diversity - in our ancient history.
0:47:07 > 0:47:10- However, - these are minor differences.
0:47:12 > 0:47:15- Beyond the comings and goings - of our DNA...
0:47:15 > 0:47:19- ..and our personal histories - is a more important truth.
0:47:20 > 0:47:24- After all, - we belong to the same family.
0:47:25 > 0:47:28- Everyone who's now in Britain...
0:47:29 > 0:47:31- ..their ancestry - came in a wave of migration.
0:47:32 > 0:47:36- The differences between people - aren't down to immigration.
0:47:36 > 0:47:38- We're all immigrants.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41- The differences are when - their ancestry came to the UK.
0:47:42 > 0:47:47- It's a lesson, in a way, because - we all come from the same place.
0:47:47 > 0:47:50- When you read in the newspapers...
0:47:50 > 0:47:53- ..about the fighting - here and there...
0:47:53 > 0:47:56- ..what difference does it make - who we are?
0:47:56 > 0:47:59- We're all part - of the same gene pool.
0:48:26 > 0:48:28- S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.
0:48:28 > 0:48:28- .