Ancient DNA sheds light on the genetic origins of early Iron Age Philistines

Feldman, Micha; Master, Daniel M.; Bianco, Raffaela A.; Burri, Marta; Stockhammer, Philipp W.; Mittnik, Alissa; Aja, Adam J.; Jeong, Choongwon and Krause, Johannes (2019): Ancient DNA sheds light on the genetic origins of early Iron Age Philistines. In: Science Advances, Vol. 5, No. 7, eaax0061

Abstract

The ancient Mediterranean port city of Ashkelon, identified as "Philistine"during the Iron Age, underwent a marked cultural change between the Late Bronze and the early Iron Age. It has been long debated whether this change was driven by a substantial movement of people, possibly linked to a larger migration of the so-called "Sea Peoples." Here, we report genome-wide data of 10 Bronze and Iron Age individuals from Ashkelon. We find that the early Iron Age population was genetically distinct due to a European-related admixture. This genetic signal is no longer detectible in the later Iron Age population. Our results support that a migration event occurred during the Bronze to Iron Age transition in Ashkelon but did not leave a long-lasting genetic signature.

• Item Type: Journal article
• Faculties: Cultural Studies > Department of Ancient and Modern Cultures
• Subjects: 900 History and geography > 900 Geschichte
• ISSN: 2375-2548
• Language: English