Al-Andalus Genetics: Lower North African Ancestry Than Believed
G25 coordinate analysis places the highest North African genetic impact in western Iberia, not Andalusia, challenging the legacy of the Muslim conquest.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Al-Andalus Genetics: Lower North African Ancestry Than Believed
Medieval Iberia hosted Christians, Jovenlandeses, and Jews, and modern genetics can now distinguish their ancestral traces. A G25 coordinate analysis compares historical populations like Christian_Hispania_MA and Al-Andalus_MA against North African caliphates, Arabs, and Guanches. According to the calculations discussed, North African contribution to Muslim Spain was smaller than popular narratives suggest, with the strongest Berber imprint appearing today in western Iberia rather than the south.
What is Vahaduo G25 and How It Works
The tool divides analysis into five sections: Source, Target, Distance, Single, and Multi. Source loads reference coordinates; Target accepts user samples, one per line. Distance shows closest populations (lower values indicate greater similarity), Single breaks down percentages, and Multi compares multiple samples simultaneously.
The method requires G25 coordinates, a numerical format summarizing an individual's position in genetic component space. This allows comparing medieval Iberian samples with modern series from Portugal, Galicia, Castilla y León, Extremadura, Andalusia, or Valencia. The Medieval calculator (Alwakeel) provides historical references; the G25 World Countries Calculator K105 offers modern ones.
Christians, Jovenlandeses, and Jews: Three Distinct Profiles
Christian_Hispania_MA and Al-Andalus_MA samples are not identical. The former aligns more closely with northern Iberian populations; the latter includes North African and Levantine components. Sephardic series, such as Sephardic_Jew, show a distinct profile mixing Mediterranean and Central European ancestry.
Distance analysis places Portuguese and Galician groups near medieval North African samples, while Basques and northern Aragonese appear most distant from that component. The prevailing interpretation suggests the Muslim conquest did not increase North African ancestry as much as thought, but instead displaced Christian populations northward.
Western Iberia and the Myth of Moorish South
Data indicates the highest percentage of North African ancestry concentrates in Portugal, Galicia, Asturias, Extremadura, and Castilla y León, not Andalusia. The south and Levante regions show a more varied mix: Italic, Celtic, Germanic, Slavic, and Levantine. Some argue Murcia even has Slavic input, a surprising detail.
The explanation posits that Christian populations in Baetica fled north during early centuries of Muslim rule, leaving the south with a more heterogeneous composition. Notable differences between Gallaecia and Baetica reinforce the thesis of lasting population displacement.
Canary Islands and the Guanche Component
Samples from Canary_Islands_Guanche, such as gun002 and gun005, reveal an ancient North African component persisting in current Canarian populations. Calculations suggest Canarians have approximately 20-25% Guanche ancestry, which translates to 10-15% North African origin on commercial platforms.
This data compares Berber influence in the Canaries with the rest of Spain. The conclusion is that the archipelago retains more ancient North African genetics than the peninsula, though proportions vary by island and specific sample.
Methodological Limitations and Criticism
Not everyone accepts these results. The main objection is that single individuals may yield vastly different figures, requiring far more samples than available to speak of regional trends. Commercial saliva analyses reportedly fail to meet requirements for reliable methodology and extensive sampling.
Critics also question whether calculators interpret Spanish DNA as Sardinian or Central European heritage, detecting only typical Iberian genotypes associated with the Basque Country. Proponents respond that analysis uses raw data, not commercial interpretations.
The final paradox is that genetics debunks the "Moorish South" stereotype, shifting it westward. Those seeking North African ancestry in Spain are more likely to find it in Galicia than Granada. Numbers, indeed, do not understand romance.
Medieval Iberia hosted Christians, Jovenlandeses, and Jews, and modern genetics can now distinguish their ancestral traces. A G25 coordinate analysis compares historical populations like Christian_Hispania_MA and Al-Andalus_MA against North African caliphates, Arabs, and Guanches. According to the calculations discussed, North African contribution to Muslim Spain was smaller than popular narratives suggest, with the strongest Berber imprint appearing today in western Iberia rather than the south.
What is Vahaduo G25 and How It Works
The tool divides analysis into five sections: Source, Target, Distance, Single, and Multi. Source loads reference coordinates; Target accepts user samples, one per line. Distance shows closest populations (lower values indicate greater similarity), Single breaks down percentages, and Multi compares multiple samples simultaneously.
The method requires G25 coordinates, a numerical format summarizing an individual's position in genetic component space. This allows comparing medieval Iberian samples with modern series from Portugal, Galicia, Castilla y León, Extremadura, Andalusia, or Valencia. The Medieval calculator (Alwakeel) provides historical references; the G25 World Countries Calculator K105 offers modern ones.
Christians, Jovenlandeses, and Jews: Three Distinct Profiles
Christian_Hispania_MA and Al-Andalus_MA samples are not identical. The former aligns more closely with northern Iberian populations; the latter includes North African and Levantine components. Sephardic series, such as Sephardic_Jew, show a distinct profile mixing Mediterranean and Central European ancestry.
Distance analysis places Portuguese and Galician groups near medieval North African samples, while Basques and northern Aragonese appear most distant from that component. The prevailing interpretation suggests the Muslim conquest did not increase North African ancestry as much as thought, but instead displaced Christian populations northward.
Western Iberia and the Myth of Moorish South
Data indicates the highest percentage of North African ancestry concentrates in Portugal, Galicia, Asturias, Extremadura, and Castilla y León, not Andalusia. The south and Levante regions show a more varied mix: Italic, Celtic, Germanic, Slavic, and Levantine. Some argue Murcia even has Slavic input, a surprising detail.
The explanation posits that Christian populations in Baetica fled north during early centuries of Muslim rule, leaving the south with a more heterogeneous composition. Notable differences between Gallaecia and Baetica reinforce the thesis of lasting population displacement.
Canary Islands and the Guanche Component
Samples from Canary_Islands_Guanche, such as gun002 and gun005, reveal an ancient North African component persisting in current Canarian populations. Calculations suggest Canarians have approximately 20-25% Guanche ancestry, which translates to 10-15% North African origin on commercial platforms.
This data compares Berber influence in the Canaries with the rest of Spain. The conclusion is that the archipelago retains more ancient North African genetics than the peninsula, though proportions vary by island and specific sample.
Methodological Limitations and Criticism
Not everyone accepts these results. The main objection is that single individuals may yield vastly different figures, requiring far more samples than available to speak of regional trends. Commercial saliva analyses reportedly fail to meet requirements for reliable methodology and extensive sampling.
Critics also question whether calculators interpret Spanish DNA as Sardinian or Central European heritage, detecting only typical Iberian genotypes associated with the Basque Country. Proponents respond that analysis uses raw data, not commercial interpretations.
The final paradox is that genetics debunks the "Moorish South" stereotype, shifting it westward. Those seeking North African ancestry in Spain are more likely to find it in Galicia than Granada. Numbers, indeed, do not understand romance.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (106 replies).
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