A new interdisciplinary study published in the journal Science Advances reports on 20 newly sequenced ancient genomes from sub-Saharan Africa, including the first genomes from Botswana, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These last data are foremost the result of archaeological research on the ancient kingdom of the Kongo during the ERC-funded KongoKing project. The new study contributes to a better comprehension of how diverse African societies with a diverse linguistic and cultural background interacted with each other during the Neolithicon and Iron Age. English, French and Dutch press releases are available.