Genetic history from the Middle Neolithic to present on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia

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.

Demogenomic modeling of the timing and the processes of early European farmers differentiation

“…S21 ) revealed three main clusters of ancient samples, which are found overall much more differentiated than modern individuals of SW Asia and Europe: i) a cluster of European HGs, ii) a cluster of Early Neolithic individuals from Iran, here represented by a single genome from Wezmeh Cave, WC1, and iii) a cluster with all other Holocene individuals. In keeping with previous analyses based on a restricted set of SNPs 26,27 , this MDS analysis ( Fig. 2a ) suggests strongest affinities of European and NW Anatolian Neolithic samples with modern Sardinians, with the exception of the Early Neolithic NW Anatolian individual Bar8 found to be closer to modern individuals from Greece, Albania and other individuals from Southern Europe.…”

A Genetic Window on Sardinian Native Horse Breeds through Uniparental Molecular Systems

“…Contemporary Giara horses are probably descendants of the ancient Phoenicia, in agreement with Gratani [26] and many non-official records stating that these horses were introduced in Sardinia by Phoenician in the first millennium BCE. Recent studies focusing on the genetic history of human Sardinian populations inferred extensive exchange and continuity between the Phoenician population and broader Sardinia [28,29], thus supporting the hypothesis that Phoenician sailors might have brought their horses during their maritime expansions across the Mediterranean Sea and established settlements along the southern shores of Sardinia. The Giara horses are now the only survivors of a race that until the Middle Ages was much more extensive.…”

Origin and diffusion of human Y chromosome haplogroup J1-M267

“…In our whole Y chromosome tree, European haplogroup J1-M267 lineages coalesce to others after ~ 5 kya. Therefore, the ancestors of the current haplogroup J1-M267 members migrated to Europe after the Neolithic, and, given the aDNA results, most likely also after the Bronze Age, since the earliest representative was found in the Punic period in Sardinia at ~ 2.4 kya 48,68 ( Supplementary Fig. S2, Supplementary Table S3).…”