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The genetic history of Portugal over the past 5,000 years

2025Journal article Open access
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datacite.subject.fosCiências Naturais::Ciências Biológicas
dc.contributor.authorRoca-Rada, Xavier
dc.contributor.authorDavidson, Roberta
dc.contributor.authorWilliams, Matthew P
dc.contributor.authorVillalba-Mouco, Vanessa
dc.contributor.authorCarvalho, António Faustino
dc.contributor.authorRavishankar, Shyamsundar
dc.contributor.authorCollen, Evelyn
dc.contributor.authorHaarkötter, Christian
dc.contributor.authorTaufik, Leonard
dc.contributor.authorCuesta-Aguirre, Daniel R
dc.contributor.authorTente, Catarina
dc.contributor.authorCalleja, Álvaro M Monge
dc.contributor.authorMacRoberts, Rebecca Anne
dc.contributor.authorMelo, Linda
dc.contributor.authorPurnomo, Gludhug A
dc.contributor.authorSouilmi, Yassine
dc.contributor.authorTobler, Raymond
dc.contributor.authorCunha, Eugénia
dc.contributor.authorTereso, Sofia
dc.contributor.authorMatos, Vítor M J
dc.contributor.authorFernandes, Teresa Matos
dc.contributor.authorMaurer, Anne-France
dc.contributor.authorSilva, Ana Maria
dc.contributor.authorCarvalho, Pedro C
dc.contributor.authorLlamas, Bastien
dc.contributor.authorTeixeira, João C
dc.date.accessioned2026-01-12T16:47:16Z
dc.date.available2026-01-12T16:47:16Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.description.abstractBackground: Recent ancient DNA studies uncovering large-scale demographic events in Iberia have presented very limited data for Portugal, a country located at the westernmost edge of continental Eurasia. Here, we present the most comprehensive collection of Portuguese ancient genome-wide data, from 67 individuals spanning 5000 years of human history, from the Neolithic to the nineteenth century. Results: We identify early admixture between local hunter-gatherers and Anatolian-related farmers in Neolithic Portugal, with a northeastern-southwestern gradient of increasing Magdalenian-associated ancestry persistence in Iberia. This profile continues into the Chalcolithic, though Bell Beaker-associated sites reveal Portugal's first evidence of Steppe-related ancestry. Such ancestry has a broader demographic impact during the Bronze Age, despite continuity of local Chalcolithic genetic ancestry and limited Mediterranean connections. The village of Idanha-a-Velha emerges in the Roman period as a site of significant migration and interaction, presenting a notably diverse genetic profile that includes North African and Eastern Mediterranean ancestries. The Early Medieval period is marked by the arrival of Central European genetic diversity, likely linked to migrations of Germanic tribes, adding to coeval local, African, and Mediterranean influences. The Islamic and Christian Conquest periods show strong genetic continuity in northern Portugal and significant additional African admixture in the south. The latter remains stable during the post-Islamic period, suggesting enduring African influences. Conclusions: We reveal dynamic patterns of migration in line with cultural exchange across millennia, but also the persistence of local ancestries. Our findings integrate genetic information with historical and archeological data, enhancing our understanding of Iberia's biological and cultural heritage.eng
dc.description.sponsorshipX.R-R. acknowledges the FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P./MCTES (PTDC/HAR-ARQ/6273/2020) for funding the development of his postdoctoral fellowship through the Portuguese National Funds (PIDDAC). J.C.T. is supported by the Australian Research Council through an ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DE210101235). C.H. acknowledges the Spanish Ministry of Universities for funding the development of his PhD (FPU 20/01967).
dc.identifier.citationRoca-Rada, X., Davidson, R., Williams, M. P., Villalba-Mouco, V., Carvalho, A. F., Ravishankar, S., Collen, E., Haarkötter, C., Taufik, L., Cuesta-Aguirre, D. R., Tente, C., Calleja, Á. M. M., MacRoberts, R. A., Melo, L., Purnomo, G. A., Souilmi, Y., Tobler, R., Cunha, E., Tereso, S., Matos, V. M. J., … Teixeira, J. C. (2025). The genetic history of Portugal over the past 5,000 years. Genome biology, 26(1), 248
dc.identifier.doi10.1186/s13059-025-03707-2
dc.identifier.issn1474-760X
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.26/60872
dc.language.isoen
dc.peerreviewedyes
dc.publisherSpringer
dc.relationPTDC/HAR-ARQ/6273/2020
dc.relation.hasversionhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13059-025-03707-2
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectAncient DNA
dc.subjectArchaeology
dc.subjectIberia
dc.subjectMolecular anthropology
dc.subjectPaleogenomics
dc.subjectPopulation genetics
dc.subjectPortuguese populations
dc.titleThe genetic history of Portugal over the past 5,000 yearseng
dc.typejournal article
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.citation.titleGenome Biology
oaire.citation.volume26
oaire.versionhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85
person.familyNameCunha
person.givenNameEugénia
person.identifierhttps://scholar.google.pt/citations?user=HSGHLA0AAAAJ&hl=en
person.identifier.ciencia-idE717-5464-E13B
person.identifier.orcid0000-0003-2998-371X
person.identifier.scopus-author-id190305008042
relation.isAuthorOfPublication32c59c7d-e7f2-4023-91a0-677db952e161
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery32c59c7d-e7f2-4023-91a0-677db952e161

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