DNA analysis reveals ancestry of man buried in ancient Spanish tomb, shows mixed heritage - study

A recent study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports has shed new light on the ancestry of individuals buried in the ancient Dolmen of Menga in southern Spain. While the warm climate made DNA extraction challenging, usable genetic material was obtained from one of the two men, identified as Menga1. This analysis revealed a complex genetic heritage, with lineages tracing back to the Chalcolithic period in Spain on his father's side, and a mix of European and North African origins on his mother's side.

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Due to the warm climate, researchers only managed to extract usable DNA from the remains of one of the men, estimated to have been around 45-years-old, called Menga1.

The findings indicate that Menga1 possessed a genetic profile consistent with individuals from Roman and early medieval Iberia, incorporating Iberian Iron Age, North African, and Levantine sources. This genetic diversity highlights the interconnectedness of populations in the region during that era. The study also noted that DNA analysis alone cannot determine religious or cultural affiliation, as individuals of Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and pagan backgrounds coexisted and could share similar genetic profiles.

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The DNA of the second man, who is believed to have been more than 45 years old, was too fragmented for analysis and had an 'intrusion of roots into some of the bones.'

Interestingly, both men were buried in single graves without coffins, facing southwest along the dolmen's central axis. This practice, while sharing some similarities with Islamic burial customs of the time, is distinguished by the specific alignment within the Neolithic monument. The researchers posit that this deliberate placement, at the entrance of a structure already ancient in their time, suggests a reverence for the dolmen itself. The Jerusalem Post's report on this archaeological finding provides its readers with insights into the deep historical layers of the Iberian Peninsula and the complex tapestry of human migration and interaction that shaped its population.

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On his father's side, he carried a genetic lineage present in Spain since at least the Chalcolithic period, and on his mother's side, a genetic lineage that, while mainly present in Europeans, has also been found in present-day North Africans.