Published on ShanghaiDaily.com (http://www.shanghaidaily.com/)
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2008/200812/20081207/article_383560.htm
Jewish genes strong in Spain: study
Created: 2008-12-7 1:21:26
SPAIN'S Jews were mostly expelled or forced to convert after the 15th century, but today some 20 percent of Spanish men have genes that can be traced to Sephardic Jews, a new study has found.
A report in the American Journal of Human Genetics says almost a fifth of Spaniards are of Sephardic Jewish (Iberian Peninsula) origin and another 11 percent have North African roots.
"The genetic composition of the current population is the legacy of our diverse cultural and religious past," one of the report's authors, Francesc Calafell, from Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, said on Friday.
The study analyzed DNA samples from 1,140 men in Spain, Portugal and the Balearic Islands and compared them to established data on Moroccans, Algerians, and Sephardic Jews in Istanbul and Israel.
"The work shows that religious conversions and subsequent marriages between people of different lines had a significant impact on modern populations both in the Balearic Islands and in Portugal," co-author Elena Bosch said.
One of the most surprising findings is the percentage of Spanish men whose genes can be traced to Sephardic Jews, although Spain had a relatively small Jewish population compared to the Moorish.
The Moors invaded the Iberian peninsula in 711 and remained until defeated in battle by the so-called Catholic Monarchs in 1492. Moorish influence is still noticeable in Spain's language, architecture, music and other aspects of its culture.
Jews lived in Spain before the Moors arrived and although small in number played a significant cultural and economic role.
Hundreds of thousands of Jews were expelled from Spain in various repressive moves, started by the Catholic Monarchs. The study suggests many Jews converted rather than face repression.
A report in the American Journal of Human Genetics says almost a fifth of Spaniards are of Sephardic Jewish (Iberian Peninsula) origin and another 11 percent have North African roots.
"The genetic composition of the current population is the legacy of our diverse cultural and religious past," one of the report's authors, Francesc Calafell, from Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, said on Friday.
The study analyzed DNA samples from 1,140 men in Spain, Portugal and the Balearic Islands and compared them to established data on Moroccans, Algerians, and Sephardic Jews in Istanbul and Israel.
"The work shows that religious conversions and subsequent marriages between people of different lines had a significant impact on modern populations both in the Balearic Islands and in Portugal," co-author Elena Bosch said.
One of the most surprising findings is the percentage of Spanish men whose genes can be traced to Sephardic Jews, although Spain had a relatively small Jewish population compared to the Moorish.
The Moors invaded the Iberian peninsula in 711 and remained until defeated in battle by the so-called Catholic Monarchs in 1492. Moorish influence is still noticeable in Spain's language, architecture, music and other aspects of its culture.
Jews lived in Spain before the Moors arrived and although small in number played a significant cultural and economic role.
Hundreds of thousands of Jews were expelled from Spain in various repressive moves, started by the Catholic Monarchs. The study suggests many Jews converted rather than face repression.
Agencies
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