Genetic history from the Middle Neolithic to present on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia
By Joseph H. Marcus et al.
Abstract -
The island of Sardinia has been of particular interest to geneticists for decades. The current
model for Sardinia’s genetic history describes the island as harboring a founder population
that was established largely from the Neolithic peoples of southern Europe and remained
isolated from later Bronze Age expansions on the mainland. To evaluate this model, we
generate genome-wide ancient DNA data for 70 individuals from 21 Sardinian archaeological
sites spanning the Middle Neolithic through the Medieval period. The earliest individuals
show a strong affinity to western Mediterranean Neolithic populations, followed by an
extended period of genetic continuity on the island through the Nuragic period (second
millennium BCE). Beginning with individuals from Phoenician/Punic sites (first millennium
BCE), we observe spatially-varying signals of admixture with sources principally from the
eastern and northern Mediterranean. Overall, our analysis sheds light on the genetic history
of Sardinia, revealing how relationships to mainland populations shifted over time.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-14523-6
Regards,
Pete
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