Iberian Y chromosomes, mark II.

Reduced genetic structure of the Iberian peninsula revealed by Y-chromosome analysis: implications for population demography
Carlos Flores*,1,2, Nicole Maca-Meyer1,2, Ana M Gonza´lez1, Peter J Oefner3, Peidong Shen3,
Jose A Pe´rez1, Antonio Rojas4, Jose M Larruga1 and Peter A Underhill5

Europe has been influenced by both intra- and intercontinental migrations. Since the Iberian peninsula was a refuge during the Last Glacial Maximum, demographic factors associated with contraction, isolation, subsequent expansion and gene flow episodes have contributed complexity to its population history. In this work, we analysed 26 Y-chromosome biallelic markers in 568 chromosomes from 11 different Iberian population groups and compared them to published data on the Basques and Catalans to gain insight into the paternal gene pool of these populations and find out to what extent major demographic processes account for their genetic structure. Our results reveal a reduced, although geographically correlated,
Y-chromosomal interpopulation variance (1.2%), which points to a limited heterogeneity in the region. Coincidentally, spatial analysis of genetic distances points to a focal distribution of Y-chromosome haplogroups in this area. These results indicate that neither old or recent Levantine expansions nor North African contacts have influenced the current Iberian Y-chromosome diversity so that geographical patterns can be identified.

Again, one to study tomorrow! This nice image from another source

Prehistoric contacts over the Straits of Gibraltar indicated by genetic analysis of Iberian Bronze Age cattle

Prehistoric contacts over the Straits of Gibraltar indicated by genetic analysis of Iberian Bronze Age cattle
Cecilia Anderung*, Abigail Bouwman†, Per Persson‡, José Miguel Carretero§, Ana Isabel Ortega§, Rengert Elburg¶, Colin Smith∥, Juan Luis Arsuaga**, Hans Ellegren*, and Anders Götherström*,††
+Author Affiliations
The geographic situation of the Iberian Peninsula makes it a natural link between Europe and North Africa. However, it is a matter of debate to what extent African influences via the Straits Gibraltar have affected Iberia’s prehistoric development. Because early African pastoralist communities were dedicated to cattle breeding, a possible means to detect prehistoric African–Iberian contacts might be to analyze the origin of cattle breeds on the Iberian Peninsula. Some contemporary Iberian cattle breeds show a mtDNA haplotype, T1, that is characteristic to African breeds, generally explained as being the result of the Muslim expansion of the 8th century A.D., and of modern imports. To test a possible earlier African influence, we analyzed mtDNA of Bronze Age cattle from the Portalón cave at the Atapuerca site in northern Spain. Although the majority of samples showed the haplotype T3 that dominates among European breeds of today, the T1 haplotype was found in one specimen radiocarbon dated 1800 calibrated years B.C. Accepting T1 as being of African origin, this result indicates prehistoric African–Iberian contacts and lends support to archaeological finds linking early African and Iberian cultures. We also found a wild ox haplotype in the Iberian Bronze Age sample, reflecting local hybridization or backcrossing or that aurochs were hunted by these farming cultures.

It seems they were moving cattle across the straits about 4,000 years ago.

The Spread of Agro-Pastoral Economies across Mediterranean Europe: A View from the Far West

The Spread of Agro-Pastoral Economies across Mediterranean Europe: A View from the Far West.
Jo5o Zilhio
Instituto de Arqueologia, Faculdade de Letras de Lisboa,
1699 Lisboa Codex, Portugal

Abstract
The transition to food production in Portugal begins with the arrival of cardial pottery and domesticates, an event that can be dated to the time period between 6800 and 6200 Bp. These items are found in sites located in the northern part of Estremadura. Contemporaneous hunter-gatherer adaptations are known to have continued their development up to c. 6000 BP in areas located further south, centered in the inner part of the estuaries of the rivers Tejo, Sado and Mira. This pattern is interpreted as indicating that the onset of agro-pastoral economies is linked to the arrival of small groups of settlers that, through interaction with local hunters, are at the origins of the subsequent expansion (completed about one thousand years later) of those economies to the rest of the Portuguese territory.

The archaeological evidence from southern Spain and southern France commonly invoked by proponents of models of the transition to food production as the result of the domestication of local resources or of the acquisition of novel resources bylocal hunters through long-distance exchange systems is shown to be flawed. Severe disturbances at the MesolithiclNeolithic interface of the stratigraphic sequences upon which such models are based-sometimes not recognized by the excavators, but documented either by subsequent work or by critical evaluation of the site reports–can be shown to have occurred. Such disturbances would account well for the radiocarbon dates between 8000 and 7000 Bp obtained at some of those sites, as well as for the presence of sheep bones in their pre- Neolithic strata.

I’ll admit to not reading this one yet (it’s late). One for Luis.

Edible land snails.. a staple of the ancient Mahgrebian diet.

Not just the French then. Huge mounds of snail shells are found all over North Africa, usually called escargotières. These are refuse piles for the shells of the eaten snails. The oldest date to over 10,000 years old.

Fig. 1. Approximate location of some sites discussed in the text. Open circles represent sites or levels dated to the late Pleistocene (i.e. older than c. 10000 BP) ; filled circles are sites or levels dated to the early and mid-Holocene. The hatched areas, the limits of which are estimated, mostly contain sites that would be represented by filled circles. a, the main region for Capsian escargotières ; b, the Pyrenean region and southern France in which there are many sites containing abundant land snails ; c, the northeastern Adriatic region which also contains numerous such sites. Individually numbered sites are : 1, the Muge middens – B Moita do Sebastião, Cabeço da Arruda, Cabeço da Amoreira – B where land snails appear to be found only with human burials ; 2, Nerja Cave ; 3, Ifri n’Ammar, Ifri-el- Baroud, Taghit Haddouch, Hassi Ouenzga ; 4, Taforalt ; 5, Afalou bou Rhumel, Tamar Hat ; 6, Grotta di Pozzo, Grotta Continenza ; 7, Grotta della Madonna, Grotta Paglicci, Grotta di Latronico ; 8, Grotta dell’Uzzo, Grotta di Levanzo, Grotta Corruggi ; 9, Rosenburg ; 10, Pupi´ cina Cave and other Istrian sites ; 11, Donja Branjevina ; 12, Foeni Salas ; 13, Cyclope Cave ; 14, Maroulas ; 15, Franchthi Cave ; 16, Haua Fteah ; 17, Laspi VII ; 18, Hoca Çesme ; 19, Ilıpınar ; 20, Öküzini Cave ; 21, Kissonerga Mylouthkia ; 22, Ksar ‘Akil ; 23, Djebel Kafzeh, Hayonim Cave, Erq el-Ahmar, Mugharet ez-Zuitina, Ein Gev ; 24, Asiab, Gerd Banahilk, Jarmo, Karim Shahir, Nemrik 9, Palegawra, Tepe Sarab, Shanidar Cave layer B, Warwasi, Zawi Chemi Shanidar.

Are land snails a signature for the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition?

Prehistoric edible land snails in the circum-Mediterranean : the archaeological evidence.

Early Holocene Maghreb prehistory: an evolutionary approach

Early Holocene Maghreb prehistory: an evolutionary approach

In this paper we have presented arevised model of cultural development in the early Holocene of the Maghreb using an evolutionary approach which focuses on adaptive processes rather than a diffusionist approach which emphasizes outside contact. In doing so we have argued the following points:

• 1. There is continuity between the Ibero-maurusian and early Holocene industries of Algeria and Tunisia
• 2. There is little evidence at present for influence, either cultural or biological ,from the east.
• 3. During the early Holocene in Algeria and Tunisia two traditions developed from the Iberomaurusian; one located in the west (vicinity of Sétif and west) and the other in the east (eastern Constantine Plains and the Tébessa-Gafsa region).
• 4. Variations within each of these traditions can probably be explained, at least in part, to functional or activity-related variation rather than ethnicity.
• 5. A phase difference, which divides the Eastern tradition (and possibly theWestern tradition) into two chrono-logical periods (Early and LateCapsian), can be defined on the basis of technological differences in bladelet production.

The primary explanatory processesinvoked in our argument are: (1) adaptation to Late Pleistocene/Early Holo-cene environmental change; (2) the effects of relative geographical isolationon populations moving into a large land mass; and (S) descent with modification from slightly divergent (technologically) ancestor populations (western and eastern Iberomaurusian). We present this model as a hypothesis for examination in the hope that it willstimulate debate and lead to research designed to obtain the types of data(biological, environmental, technological/stylistic) needed to evaluate both it and alternate formulations.

 A paper about the the stone tool cultures in the Mahgreb. Knowing now that the neolithic did introduce some new people into the area, a possible combo of in situ development plus Neolithic influence is most likely for the Capsian culture, IMO.

Dispersal patterns of M267-derived Y chromosomes in the Mediterranean

Unfortunately I can’t access the entirity of this yet.

Dispersal patterns of M267-derived Y chromosomes in the Mediterranean
XVII Congresso Degli Antropologi Italiani

Sergio Tofanelli (1), Gianmarco Ferri (2), Laura Caciagli (1), Luca Taglioli (1), Donata Luiselli (3), Giorgio Paoli (1), Cristian Capelli (4)

Human Y chromosomes belonging to haplogroup J1 (International Society of Genetic Genealogy 2007) share a derived state (G) at the M267 mutation site. It has been argued (Semino et al., 2004) that this mutation originated some 24,000 years ago in the Near East or North-East Africa and spread in the Mediterranean by means of at least two temporally distinct migrations: the first would have occurred towards Aegean and Italian coasts in Neolithic times; a more recent one (estimated time bounds 8.7–4.3 Ky) would have diffuse M267-G in Northern Africa. According to other authors (Nebel et al., 2001; Al-Zahery et al., 2003; Di Giacomo et al., 2004), however, M267-G would have arisen as early as 10,000 years ago and would mark the historical expansion of Arabian tribes in the northern Levant and southern Africa.

We investigated the variability of M267-G chromosomes from 23 different Mediterranean populations (original and published data) at a total of 20 Y STR loci. Three different sets of markers were considered: the “Y-filer” set (DYS456, DYS389I, DYS390, DYS389II, DYS458, DYS19, DYS385a, DYS385b, DYS393, DYS391, DYS439, DYS635, YGATA-H4, DYS437, DYS392, DYS438, DYS448) allowed to more accurately reconstruct time and space of the main dispersal events associated with this mutation; the “MH” (DYS19, DYS388, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393) and the “DL3” (DYS388, YCAIIa, YCAIIb) sets allowed the origin and diffusion of local modal haplotypes to be better defined.

The results depict a more complex and deeper stratification of haplotype-clades than thought before. In fact, we could observe both, geographically structured and even lineages, that could be associated to pre-agricultural, Neolithic and historical demographic events.

Results and Discussion

It has been argued that J1s originated some 24,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent and spread by means of at least two temporally distinct migratory events: the first migration would have bring M267*G to Ethiopia and Europe in Neolithic times [2,11]; a more recent one (estimated time bounds 8.7–4.3 Ky) would have diffuse a J1 subclade, defined by the YCAII*22-22 haplotype, in the southern part of the Middle East and in northern Africa [2]. According to other authors [1,3,11], however, M267 would have arisen as early as 10,000 years ago and would contain genetic signatures (the Galilee and the Palestinian MH [4]) of the historical expansion of Arabian tribes in the southern Levant and northern Africa.

Our results give a substantial increment in terms of geographic coverage and evolutionary resolution with respect to previous analyses (60 haplotypes at 8 YSTR loci [2]), thus allowing a more accurate reconstruction of the demographic events associated with this mutation. The updated dispersal range of present-day M-267*G chromosomes embraces all Mediterranean countries other than vast areas of Eurasia, the Arabian peninsula and eastern Africa, with frequency peaks reaching over 60% in northern Caucasus, Sudan, Maghrib, and the Middle East (Figure 1).

Frequency was inversely correlated to haplotype diversity (MH dbase) because populations from southern Italy, Iberia and Anatolia, where J1 lineage is at low frequency, showed the highest values at mean number of pairwise differences (Figure 2) and Nei’s I (data not shown). The shape of mismatch distributions was ragged for European and Jewish populations, indicating a constant deme size over a long period, whereas unimodal profiles, suggesting a recent rapid growth, were observed in Islamic populations from northern Africa and the Levant.

Complementary demographic inferences were obtained for M172 chromosomes as mismatch analyses gave unimodal profiles on the European shores and in Anatolia and ragged distributions on the African shores. The fact that J2 bell-shaped curves showed lower mean inter-allele differences than J1 ones suggest that J1 chromosomes have undergone population expansions earlier than J2s. Hence, M267 and M172 sites describe phylogenies that experienced different demographic dynamics in time and space.

Other factors than a demographic expansion could arrange haplotype variability into a bell-shaped distribution of pairwise differences: a single localized size expansion could hinder a stationary state at a wider geographic scale or more ancient events; the adhesion to site-finite mutation models could underestimate the time of divergence between STR haplotypes. In order to indirectly verify the occurrence of the above sources of error we performed a mismatch analysis at the Y-filer set on the two largest population samples: Central Italy and Northern Africa (Figure 3).

Again, MD profiles strongly differed on the two Mediterranean sides with a smooth unimodal curve for African haplotypes and a stretched multi-peak profile for Italian haplotypes.

A confirm of the occurrence of a true population expansion would be the presence of star-like patterns within median networks of STR haplotypes. The median-joining network constructed from the haplotypes of the Y-filer dbase is shown in Figure 4. Two star-like conformations can be recognised: a inner one (Exp 1) involving Sudanese haplotypes, one of which exactly matching with one Algerian haplotype; a second one involving Sudanese, Algerian and Tunisian haplotypes (Exp 2).

There are two possible time frames in the history of Mediterranean peopling where to place this putative episodes of expansion: one is the spread of Islam since the VII century AD, one is the diffusion of Ibero-Maurusian and Capsian Mesolithic cultures (15-5 Kybp).

Estimated divergence times for the Exp 2 event (Trho=9.1 Kybp, 95% CI: 7.6-10.6; TASD=9.1 Kybp, 95% CI: 4.8-13.4) exclude a historical expansion and are in good agreement with archaeological evidence of the Ibero-Maurusian/Capsian transition (9-10 Kybp [12,13]).

I’ve long thought that the Capsian in North Africa came from the near East, supported by the Taforalt DNA study. I’d say that the early Ibero-Maurussian was unlikely as the population direction was pretty radial from upper Egypt so I can’t see it spreading  J1 from the near East. Although technically Taforalt is IM in nature, I believe this is the era when new immigrants from the East began to arrive, which is why I lump it in with the Upper Capsian.The frequency hot spot for J1s een in another studies seem to be in the Jordon area. North East Africa seems a bit unlikely, from what I’ve dug up on population movements in that area

What could have caused a population expansion from the near East at this time. I think pre Neolithic pulse farmers, personally. They start to expand from Anatolia into the Med 13,500 years ago. This would make a pre Capsian arrival possible, and would expain why other Eurasian mtDNA  like H/V etc are in Taforalt but don’t show the same time depth as U amd M1. Also, if J1 was in North Africa along with the IM culture, I’d expect it to have some unique derived J1’s in Iberia.

The Romani; DNA, language and migration

I’m finally getting around to the Roma. Living in the South East England, I’m very familiar with people of Roma ancestry, as a lot settled here after the second world war when the new housing was built. For the most part they’ve assimilated into the rest of the population, their only real cultural footprint being their contribution to the language. Being from the SE, I’m pretty familiar with all of these, but I know the non-English will need a translation.

• Cushy = same root as Cushti
• Cushti = good, from Kusko meaing good
• Chiv = cut
• Chav = common individual from chavvie, meaning boy
• Cove = person, from cova
• Shiv = Knife-like weapon
• Nark = informant
• Hotchpotch = mixture
• Mush = face/mouth, man, from moosh meaning town-man
• Rum = strange/odd, from rrom
• Pal = friend (originally brother/comrade)
• Minge = vagina
• Minger = ugly woman
• Minging=disgusting
• Bosh = make noise
• Gaff = place of residence, from gav, meaning village
• Wonga = money, from vonga
• Lollipop= from toffee apple- cosh lollipop

These are words of an Indo-European language, and it probably had an origin in the northern India/Pakistan area, the Punjab being the most likely.

I’m friends with members of three different Rom families in Kent. While some of them still retain their dark looks here (one could easily pass for Pakistani, and one got mistaken for a local on holiday in Turkey by the locals) most don’t look any different to the rest of the population due to intermarriage. 

Their assimilation into mainstream culture is more or less a done deed here. Of the Roma I know, two are prison officers and one a teacher, so the old Nazi ideology of their being inherently criminal or less intelligent has been proven to be wrong by their recent track record in the UK.

Romany migration route.

 Romany in the UK  (a short paper on the Angloromani dialect)

 DNA articles.

 A Romani mitochondrial haplotype in England 500 years before their recorded arrival in Britain

Ana L Töpf and A. Rus Hoelzel*
Received November 9, 2004; Accepted February 27, 2005.

The nomadic Romani (gypsy) people are known for their deep-rooted traditions, but most of their history is recorded from external sources. We find evidence for a Romani genetic lineage in England long before their recorded arrival there. The most likely explanations are that either the historical record is wrong, or that early liaisons between Norse and Romani people during their coincident presence in ninth to tenth century Byzantium led to the spread of the haplotype to England.

Searching for the origin of Romanies: Slovakian Romani, Jats of Haryana and Jat Sikhs Y-STR data in comparison with different Romani populations.
 
[My paper] Melinda Nagy, Lotte Henke, Jürgen Henke, Prasanta K Chatthopadhyay, Antónia Völgyi, Andrea Zalán, Orsolya Peterman, Jarmila Bernasovská, Horolma Pamjav
J. Selye University, Komárno, Slovakia.
Haplotype frequencies for 11 Y-STR markers (DYS19, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS385, DYS437, DYS438 and DYS439) in a Romani population (n=63) from Slovakia, Jats of Haryana (n=84) and Jat Sikhs (n=80) from India were determined. The Slovakian Romani, the Haryana and Sikh populations were endogamous based on their unique haplotype ratio and haplotype diversity values, although the Sikh population appeared to be more diverse. AMOVA revealed non-significant differences between the Romanies and significant differences with non-Romani populations. The Macedonian Romani population differed from all Romani populations examined. Frequent haplotypes observed in Romani populations were sporadic in northwest Indian populations. Thirteen out of 316 populations worldwide were found to share the six most frequent haplotypes of the Slovakian Romanies when the screening conditions were narrowed based on the population size to be over 40, the occurrence of the haplotypes was more than one and the sum frequencies of the most frequent haplotypes was at least 0.02. The most common haplotypes were also observed in other Romani groups. When searching with two Indian (Malbar and Malaysian Indian) most frequent haplotypes under the same conditions matches could be detected in all Romani populations except for the Macedonian Romanies. The search with the Jat Sikhs and Jats of Haryana most frequent haplotypes resulted no matches in Romani populations.

Mitochondrial DNA Diversity in the Polish Roma.

BA Malyarchuk, T Grzybowski, MV Derenko, J Czarny, D Miścicka-Śliwka

Summary Mitochondrial DNA variability in the Polish Roma population has been studied by means of hypervariable segment I and II (HVS I and II) sequencing and restriction fragment-length polymorphism analysis of the mtDNA coding region. The mtDNA haplotypes detected in the Polish Roma fall into the common Eurasian mitochondrial haplogroups (H, U3, K, J1, X, I, W, and M*). The results of complete mtDNA sequencing clearly indicate that the Romani M*-lineage belongs to the Indian-specific haplogroup M5, which is characterized by three transitions in the coding region, at sites 12477, 3921 and 709. Molecular variance analysis inferred from mtDNA data reveals that genetic distances between the Roma groups are considerably larger than those between the surrounding European populations. Also, there are significant differences between the Bulgarian Roma (Balkan and Vlax groups) and West European Roma (Polish, Lithuanian and Spanish groups). Comparative analysis of mtDNA haplotypes in the Roma populations shows that different haplotypes appear to demonstrate impressive founder effects: M5 and H (16261-16304) in all Romani groups; U3, I and J1 in some Romani groups. Interestingly, haplogroup K (with HVS I motif 16224-16234-16311) found in the Polish Roma sample seems to be specific for Ashkenazi Jewish populations. 

Frequencies of mtDNA haplogroups in southeastern Europe–Croatians, Bosnians and Herzegovi

S Cvjetan, HV Tolk, LB Lauc, I Colak, D Dordević, L Efremovska, B Janićijević, A Kvesić, IM Klarić, E Metspalu, M Pericić, J Parik, D Popović, A Sijacki, R Terzić, R Villems, P Rudan

Mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms were analyzed in of 1,610 randomly chosen adult men from 11 different regions from southeastern Europe (Croatians, Bosnians and Herzegovinians, Serbians, Macedonians and Macedonian Romani). MtDNA HVS-I region together with RFLP sites diagnostic for main Euroasian and African mtDNA haplogroups were typed to determine haplogroup frequency distribution. The most frequent haplogroup in studied populations was H with the exception of Macedonian Romani among whom the most frequent were South Asian (Indian) specific variants of haplogroup M. The multidimensional scaling plot showed two clusters of populations and two outliers (Macedonian Romani and the most distant from mainland Croatian island of Korcula). The first cluster was formed by populations from three Croatian islands (Hvar, Krk and Brac) and the second cluster was formed by Macedonians, Serbians, Croatians from mainland and coast, Herzegovinians, Bosnians, Slovenians, Poles and Russians. The present analysis does not address a precise evaluation of phylogenetic relations of studied populations although some conclusions about historical migrations could be noticed. More extended conclusions will be possible after deeper phylogenetic and statistical analyses.

Dissecting the molecular architecture and origin of Bayash Romani patrilineages: Genetic influences from South-Asia and the Balkans

Irena Martinovi Klari et al.

The Bayash are a branch of Romanian speaking Roma living dispersedly in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. To better understand the molecular architecture and origin of the Croatian Bayash paternal gene pool, 151 Bayash Y chromosomes were analyzed for 16 SNPs and 17 STRs and compared with European Romani and non-Romani majority populations from Europe, Turkey, and South Asia. Two main layers of Bayash paternal gene pool were identified: ancestral (Indian) and recent (European). The reduced diversity and expansion signals of H1a patrilineages imply descent from closely related paternal ancestors who could have settled in the Indian subcontinent, possibly as early as between the eighth and tenth centuries AD. The recent layer of the Bayash paternal pool is dominated by a specific subset of E1b1b1a lineages that are not found in the Balkan majority populations. At least two private mutational events occurred in the Bayash during their migrations from the southern Balkans toward Romania. Additional admixture, evident in the low frequencies of typical European haplogroups, J2, R1a, I1, R1b1b2, G, and I2a, took place primarily during the early Bayash settlement in the Balkans and the Romani bondage in Romania. Our results indicate two phenomena in the Bayash and analyzed Roma: a significant preservation of ancestral H1a haplotypes as a result of considerable, but variable level of endogamy and isolation and differential distribution of less frequent, but typical European lineages due to different patterns of the early demographic history in Europe marked by differential admixture and genetic drift.