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

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 11; no. 1; p. 939
• Main Authors: Marcus, Joseph H., Posth, Cosimo, Ringbauer, Harald, Lai, Luca, Skeates, Robin, Sidore, Carlo, Beckett, Jessica, Furtwängler, Anja, Olivieri, Anna, Chiang, Charleston W. K., Al-Asadi, Hussein, Dey, Kushal, Joseph, Tyler A., Liu, Chi-Chun, Der Sarkissian, Clio, Radzevičiūtė, Rita, Michel, Megan, Gradoli, Maria Giuseppina, Marongiu, Patrizia, Rubino, Salvatore, Mazzarello, Vittorio, Rovina, Daniela, La Fragola, Alessandra, Serra, Rita Maria, Bandiera, Pasquale, Bianucci, Raffaella, Pompianu, Elisa, Murgia, Clizia, Guirguis, Michele, Orquin, Rosana Pla, Tuross, Noreen, van Dommelen, Peter, Haak, Wolfgang, Reich, David, Schlessinger, David, Cucca, Francesco, Krause, Johannes, Novembre, John
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 24-02-2020; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/181/2474; 631/181/27; 631/208/212; 631/208/457; Affinity; Archaeological sites; Archaeology - methods; Biochemistry, Molecular Biology; Body Remains; Chromosomes, Human, X - genetics; Chromosomes, Human, Y - genetics; Datasets as Topic; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA, Ancient; DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics; Female; Genetic analysis; Genetics; Genetics, Population - history; Genomes; Genomics; Historic sites; History, 15th Century; History, 16th Century; History, 17th Century; History, 18th Century; History, 19th Century; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; History, Ancient; History, Medieval; Human Migration; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Italy; Life Sciences; Male; Medieval period; Models, Genetic; multidisciplinary; Neolithic; Populations; Populations and Evolution; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Sequence Analysis, DNA; Stone Age; Italy
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14523-6

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.
Ancient DNA analysis of early European farmers has found a high level of genetic affinity with present-day Sardinians. Here, the authors generate genome-wide capture data for 70 individuals from Sardinia spanning the Middle Neolithic to Medieval period to reveal relationships with mainland European populations shifting over time.