Continuity and admixture in the last five millennia of Levantine history from ancient Canaanite and present-day Lebanese genome sequences

Abstract

The Canaanites inhabited the Levant region during the Bronze Age and established a culture which became influential in the Near East and beyond. However, the Canaanites, unlike most other ancient Near Easterners of this period, left few surviving textual records and thus their origin and relationship to ancient and present-day populations remain unclear. In this study, we sequenced five whole-genomes from ~3,700-year-old individuals from the city of Sidon, a major Canaanite city-state on the Eastern Mediterranean coast. We also sequenced the genomes of 99 individuals from present-day Lebanon to catalogue modern Levantine genetic diversity. We find that a Bronze Age Canaanite-related ancestry was widespread in the region, shared among urban populations inhabiting the coast (Sidon) and inland populations (Jordan) who likely lived in farming societies or were pastoral nomads. This Canaanite-related ancestry derived from mixture between local Neolithic populations and eastern migrants genetically related to Chalcolithic Iranians. We estimate, using linkage-disequilibrium decay patterns, that admixture occurred 6,600-3,550 years ago, coinciding with massive population movements in the mid-Holocene triggered by aridification ~4,200 years ago. We show that present-day Lebanese derive most of their ancestry from a Canaanite-related population, which therefore implies substantial genetic continuity in the Levant since at least the Bronze Age. In addition, we find Eurasian ancestry in the Lebanese not present in Bronze Age or earlier Levantines. We estimate this Eurasian ancestry arrived in the Levant around 3,750-2,170 years ago during a period of successive conquests by distant populations such as the Persians and Macedonians.

HLA‐B27 prevalence in axial spondyloarthritis patients and in blood donors in a Lebanese population: Results from a nationwide study

“…A recent genetic study found that present‐day Lebanese derive most of their ancestry from a Canaanite‐related population (ancestors of the Phoenicians), which implies substantial genetic continuity in the Levant region since at least the Bronze Age. In addition, the study found Eurasian ancestry in the Lebanese not present in the Bronze Age or earlier Levantines, and estimated that this Eurasian ancestry arrived in the Levant approximately 3750‐2170 years ago during a period of successive conquests by distant populations . This Canaanite‐related origin with the later Eurasian addition makes up the current genetic heritage of the Lebanese population.…”

The Eastern side of the Westernmost Europeans: Insights from subclades within Y‐chromosome haplogroup J‐M304

“…Accordingly, various previous studies have already captured the genetic footprints of these colonizations (Martiniano et al, ; Zalloua et al, ). While ancient DNA evidence for the impact of Phoenician expansions throughout the Mediterranean is still scarce, Haber et al () reported a J1a2b‐P58 lineage in a sample of Bronze Age Canaanites which, together with additional J‐derived lineages (including one J1) in Bronze Age Jordanian samples (Lazaridis et al, ), may indicate that haplogroup J was common in the Levant region in that period.…”

Bioarchaeological analysis of one of the earliest Islamic burials in the Levant

“…The Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula are pivotal regions in the timeline of human history and an increasing number of aDNA studies have attempted to understand the genetic history in these regions. Although there have been successful studies 1,[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] , given the poor conditions for DNA preservation, this process is proving to be slower than in more environmentally favourable regions of the world. Nonetheless, given the historical importance of this region, each newly recovered DNA sequence adds an important piece to the genomic and cultural puzzle of this territory.…”

“…In the later Chalcolithic period, evidence of distinctive cultural practices and associated population movements highlight the dynamic history of the region, especially in the Southern Levant 7,8 . Further, genomic studies from the Bronze to Iron Ages in the Levant also report admixture and population movements, and suggest some degree of continuity with modern populations 6,[9][10][11] . On an even more recent timescale, studies from the medieval period 6,11 and modern populations 13,14 describe genetic structure and the role played by culture and religion in the formation of these structures.…”