Genetic variation in North Africa and Eurasia: Neolithic demic diffusion vs. paleolithic colonisation

Greeks have a Sub-Saharan gene input according to HLA and other autosomic markers. Iberians, Canarians, and North Africans show a close genetic relatedness. This is concordant with a drying humid Sahara Desert, which may have occurred about 6,000 years BC, and the subsequent northwards emigration of Saharan people may have also happened in Pharaonic times. Present study confirms this African gene input in Greeks according to 12th HLA International Workshop data, which was studied some years before by us. This genetic input into Atlantic and Mediterranean Europe/Africa is also supported with Lineal Megalithic Scripts in Canary Islands (as well as in Iberia) together with simple Iberian semi-syllabary rock inscriptions both at Canary Islands and Ti-m Missaou (Algeria, Central southern Sahara). Lineal African/European scripts are found in some language scripts like Berber/Tuareg, Iberian, Runes, Etruscan, Bulgarian (Sitovo and Gradeshnitza, 6,000 years BP), Italian Old Scripts (Lepontic, Venetic, Raetic), Minoan Lineal A, and other Aegean scripts. The possibility that Megalithic Lineal Scripts have given rise to these languages lineal writing is feasible because admixture of languages rock scripts and Megalithic Lineal Scripts may be found. Thus, resistance of Canarian aborigines (Guanches) to Cartago, Rome and Arabs left a bulk of Canarian-Saharan information which is used to study both Saharan and Canarian Prehistory, and also Atlantic and Mediterranean beginning of European and other civilizations: this preserved prehistoric inheritance may be named the “Saharo-Canarian Circle” of prehistoric knowledge. Also, linguisticsepigraphy, physical anthropology ,archaeology and domesticated cattle shows a close North Africa-Iberia Mesolithic/Neolithic relationship and demonstrates that the demic diffusion model does not exist in Iberia. Also, Tassili Sahara paintings of domesticated cattle appear 1,000 years before that agricultural practices started at Middle East. Keywords: Greeks, Macedonians, Sahara, Africa, Iberia, HLA, Genetics, Spaniards, Portuguese, Berbers, Algerians, demic, diffusion, Canary Islands, Lanzarote, Malta, Cart-ruts, Quesera, Cheesboard, Iberian, language, Guanche, Usko-Mediterranean, Phoenicians

Download Full-text

The Northern Migrations from a drying Sahara (6,000 years BP): cultural and genetic influence in Greeks, Iberians and other Mediterraneans

International Journal of Modern Anthropology ◽

10.4314/ijma.v2i15.5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (15) ◽

pp. 484-507

Author(s):

Antonio Arnaiz-Villena ◽

Ignacio Juarez ◽

José Palacio-Grüber ◽

Adrián Lopez-Nares ◽

Fabio Suarez-Trujillo

Keyword(s):

Middle East ◽

Canary Islands ◽

North Africa ◽

Genetic Relatedness ◽

International Workshop ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Sahara Desert ◽

Mediterranean Europe ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Demic Diffusion

Greeks have a Sub-Saharan gene input according to HLA and other autosomic markers. Iberians, Canarians, and North Africans show a close genetic relatedness. This is concordant with a drying humid Sahara Desert, which may have occurred about 6,000 years BC, and the subsequent northwards emigration of Saharan people may have also happened in Pharaonic times. Present study confirms this African gene input in Greeks according to 12th HLA International Workshop data, which was studied some years before by us. This genetic input into Atlantic and Mediterranean Europe/Africa is also supported with Lineal Megalithic Scripts in Canary Islands (as well as in Iberia) together with simple Iberian semi-syllabary rock inscriptions both at Canary Islands and Ti-m Missaou (Algeria, Central southern Sahara). Lineal African/European scripts are found in some language scripts like Berber/Tuareg, Iberian, Runes, Etruscan, Bulgarian (Sitovo and Gradeshnitza, 6,000 years BP), Italian Old Scripts (Lepontic, Venetic, Raetic), Minoan Lineal A, and other Aegean scripts. The possibility that Megalithic Lineal Scripts have given rise to these languages lineal writing is feasible because admixture of languages rock scripts and Megalithic Lineal Scripts may be found. Thus, resistance of Canarian aborigines (Guanches) to Cartago, Rome and Arabs left a bulk of Canarian-Saharan information which is used to study both Saharan and Canarian Prehistory, and also Atlantic and Mediterranean beginning of European and other civilizations: this preserved prehistoric inheritance may be named the “Saharo-Canarian Circle” of prehistoric knowledge. Also, linguisticsepigraphy, physical anthropology ,archaeology and domesticated cattle shows a close North Africa-Iberia Mesolithic/Neolithic relationship and demonstrates that the demic diffusion model does not exist in Iberia. Also, Tassili Sahara paintings of domesticated cattle appear 1,000 years before that agricultural practices started at Middle East. Keywords: Greeks, Macedonians, Sahara, Africa, Iberia, HLA, Genetics, Spaniards, Portuguese, Berbers, Algerians, demic, diffusion, Canary Islands, Lanzarote, Malta, Cart-ruts, Quesera, Cheesboard, Iberian, language, Guanche, Usko-Mediterranean, Phoenicians

Download Full-text

Mitochondrial DNA divergence and phylogeography in western Palaearctic Parnassiinae (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae): How many species are there?

Insect Systematics & Evolution ◽

10.1163/187631207788783996 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 38 (2) ◽

pp. 121-138 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Felix Sperling ◽

Vazrick Nazari

Keyword(s):

Mitochondrial Dna ◽

Genetic Variation ◽

Cytochrome Oxidase ◽

Dna Sequence ◽

North Africa ◽

Mitochondrial Protein ◽

Protein Coding ◽

The Past ◽

Western Palaearctic ◽

Incomplete Sampling

AbstractWe inferred the phylogeny and historical biogeography of Parnassiinae species from the western Palaearctic using 825 bp DNA sequence from the mitochondrial protein-coding gene cytochrome oxidase I. Investigation of genetic variation revealed several cases of overlap in extent of divergence between traditionally applied taxonomic ranks. In particular, we found deep divergences between populations of Archon apollinus (Herbst) from Turkey and Israel, Zerynthia rumina (Linnaeus) from Spain and North Africa, Zerynthia polyxena (Denis & Schiffermüller) from Italy and other parts of its range, and Hypermnestra helios (Nickerl) from Iran and Central Asia. Due to incomplete sampling and weak morphological support, we only report the possibility of more than one species within each of these four taxa. The origin of ancestral Archon and Allancastria/Zerynthia is found to lie in the Iranian region. Diversification within genera is postulated to be the result of complex tectonic interactions between Eurasia and Africa during the past 20 million years, involving multiple dispersal and vicariance events.

Download Full-text

The Saharo-Canarian Circle: The forgotten Prehistory of Euro African Atlantic façade and its lack of eastern demic diffusion evidences

International Journal of Modern Anthropology ◽

10.4314/ijma.v2i16.4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (16) ◽

pp. 586-600

Author(s):

Antonio Arnaiz-Villena ◽

Marcial Medina ◽

Valentín Ruíz-del-Valle ◽

José Palacio-Gruber ◽

Adrian Lopez-Nares ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Canary Islands ◽

North Africa ◽

Genetic Relatedness ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Sahara Desert ◽

North African ◽

Mediterranean Europe ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

African Atlantic ◽

Demic Diffusion

Canarians, North Africans and Iberians show a close genetic relatedness. Greeks have a Sub-Saharan gene input according to HLA and other autosomic markers. Also, there is a genetic kinship between both Atlantic Euro Africans and North African/Arabic people. This is concordant with a drying humid Sahara Desert, which may have occurred about 6,000 years BC, and the subsequent northwards emigration of Saharan people may have also happened in Pharaonic times. This genetic input into Atlantic and Mediterranean Europe/Africa is also supported with Lineal Megalithic Scripts in Canary Islands (as well as in Iberia) together with simple Iberian semi-syllabary rock inscriptions both at Canary Islands and Ti-m Missaou (Algeria, Central southern Sahara). Lineal African/European scripts are found in certain languages scripts like Berber/Tuareg, Iberian, Runes, Etruscan, Bulgarian (Sitovo and Gradeshnitza, 6,000 years BP), Italian Old Scripts (Lepontic, Venetic, Raetic), Minoan Lineal A and Vinca scripts (Romania, Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria, about 4,000 years BP). The possibility that Megalithic Lineal Scripts have given rise to these languages lineal writing is feasible because admixture of languages rock scripts and Megalithic Lineal Scripts have been found. Thus, resistance of Canarian aborigines (Guanches) to Carthage, Rome and Arabs left a bulk of Canarian-Saharan information which is used to study both Saharan and Canarian Prehistory, and also Atlantic and Mediterranean beginning of European and other civilizations: this preserved prehistoric inheritance may be named the “Saharo-Canarian Circle” of prehistoric knowledge. Also, linguistics-epigraphy, physical anthropology, archaeology, and domesticated cattle shows a close North Africa-Iberia Mesolithic/Neolithic relationship and demonstrates that the demic diffusion model does not exist in Iberia. Also, Tassili Sahara paintings of domesticated cattle appear 1,000 years before those agricultural practices started at Middle East. Finally, it is also inferred that circum-Mediterranean contacts during thousand years between ice and desert constructed Mediterranean cultures from Canary Islands to Ancient Great Persia and this is the origin of Classical Mediterranean cultures that was later exclusively attributed to Rome and Greece.

Download Full-text

Ancient genomes from North Africa evidence prehistoric migrations to the Maghreb from both the Levant and Europe

10.1101/191569 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Rosa Fregel ◽

Fernando L. Méndez ◽

Youssef Bokbot ◽

Dimas Martín-Socas ◽

María D. Camalich-Massieu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

North Africa ◽

Eastern Mediterranean ◽

North African ◽

Early Neolithic ◽

Late Neolithic ◽

Neolithic Culture ◽

Early Arrival ◽

Genetic Pool ◽

Demic Diffusion

ABSTRACTThe extent to which prehistoric migrations of farmers influenced the genetic pool of western North Africans remains unclear. Archaeological evidence suggests the Neolithization process may have happened through the adoption of innovations by local Epipaleolithic communities, or by demic diffusion from the Eastern Mediterranean shores or Iberia. Here, we present the first analysis of individuals’ genome sequences from early and late Neolithic sites in Morocco, as well as Early Neolithic individuals from southern Iberia. We show that Early Neolithic Moroccans are distinct from any other reported ancient individuals and possess an endemic element retained in present-day Maghrebi populations, confirming a long-term genetic continuity in the region. Among ancient populations, Early Neolithic Moroccans are distantly related to Levantine Natufian hunter-gatherers (∼9,000 BCE) and Pre-Pottery Neolithic farmers (∼6,500 BCE). Although an expansion in Early Neolithic times is also plausible, the high divergence observed in Early Neolithic Moroccans suggests a long-term isolation and an early arrival in North Africa for this population. This scenario is consistent with early Neolithic traditions in North Africa deriving from Epipaleolithic communities who adopted certain innovations from neighbouring populations. Late Neolithic (∼3,000 BCE) Moroccans, in contrast, share an Iberian component, supporting theories of trans-Gibraltar gene flow. Finally, the southern Iberian Early Neolithic samples share the same genetic composition as the Cardial Mediterranean Neolithic culture that reached Iberia ∼5,500 BCE. The cultural and genetic similarities of the Iberian Neolithic cultures with that of North African Neolithic sites further reinforce the model of an Iberian migration into the Maghreb.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTThe acquisition of agricultural techniques during the so-called Neolithic revolution has been one of the major steps forward in human history. Using next-generation sequencing and ancient DNA techniques, we directly test if Neolithization in North Africa occurred through the transmission of ideas or by demic diffusion. We show that Early Neolithic Moroccans are composed of an endemic Maghrebi element still retained in present-day North African populations and distantly related to Epipaleolithic communities from the Levant. However, late Neolithic individuals from North Africa are admixed, with a North African and a European component. Our results support the idea that the Neolithization of North Africa might have involved both the development of Epipaleolithic communities and the migration of people from Europe.

Download Full-text