Medieval Genomes from Syria

The Middle-east plays a central role in human history harbouring a vast diversity of ethnic, cultural and religious groups. However, much remains to be understood about past and present genomic diversity in this region. Here, we analysed for the first time, genomic data from two medieval individuals dated to late 7th and early 8th centuries from an open-air site in modern-day Syria. Interestingly, while their cultural association is unknown, we found genetic similarity to a genotyped group of modern-day Bedouins and Saudi rather than most neighbouring Levantine groups, indicating an Arabian Peninsula ancestry. Since these groups remain poorly represented in both modern and ancient population genomic studies, clear conclusions about their genetic history are difficult to draw. However, we show considerable Neolithic Levant ancestry in our samples, whereas most modern-day Middle-easterners show a majority of Neolithic Iran ancestry. This suggests long-term continuity for some groups in the region, raising questions about the influence of ancient populations to the genetic structure in the Middle-east and how this may have been shaped through historical migrations. Based on these genetic observations, we discuss these findings in light of factors such as genetic drift and their possible interaction with religious and cultural processes, leading to potential long-term isolation of certain groups. This study provides a preliminary snapshot of genomic variation in Early medieval Syria enhancing our existing knowledge of both historical and modern genetic variation in the Middle-east.