First genetic study of its kind: the Canaanites constantly mixed with populations that came from Iran and the Caucasus

Researchers from the Hebrew University and partners from other universities have mapped the genetic profile of the Canaanites * One of the leaders of the research, Prof. Liran Carmel from the Hebrew University says in an interview with the Hedaan website: "We checked in Medina cities like Megiddo and Hazor, whether the population there was the product of genetic mixing, first of all with each other, Or every city and state inhabited genetically different people and as mentioned we showed that there is genetic uniformity among them. We also showed that the Canaanites themselves are a mixture of populations that migrated to the area with populations that lived here before them. We showed that the populations that come from where Iran and the Caucasus countries are today show a clear genetic signature."

The land of Canaan is known to us mainly from biblical stories as the promised land, which was later conquered by the Israelites. In the archaeological literature, Canaan is a region that dates back to the Late Bronze Age, in the second millennium BC. In the biblical story and in other ancient sources from the Near East, the people of the place are mentioned as Canaanites, but beyond their mere existence, very little is known about them and their origin. A new study published in the journal Cell led by Prof. Liran Carmel, Dr. Lili Agrant-Tamir, Dr. Shai Karmi, Prof. Bnei Yakir and Shamam Waldman from the Hebrew University, as well as other researchers from Israel and the world, presents a detailed analysis of the genetics of the Canaanite population , which is based on samples of ancient DNA from dozens of individuals collected from various archaeological sites in the region. Prof. David Reich from Harvard University, Prof. Israel Finkelstein from Tel Aviv University, Prof. Ron Panahsi from the University of Vienna and other researchers were also partners in the research team.

According to the research findings, the Canaanites were a mixture of two populations; People who settled the area in even earlier times and people who immigrated to the land of Canaan from areas that are now included in the territories of Iran and the Caucasus.

The researchers collected and sequenced 73 ancient DNA samples from five sites throughout Israel and Jordan, to which they added existing information from another four sites in Israel, Jordan and Lebanon. The site from which the largest number of genetic samples were sampled is Tel Megiddo, which was a central Canaanite city-state in northern Israel, and was continuously inhabited during the Bronze Age. Three individuals from Megido about 3,500 years old were discovered to be descendants of immigrants from Iran or the Caucasus region, who immigrated to the region not long before. With additional evidence of migration dating back a thousand years earlier, the researchers could also determine that the migration from the Iranian or Caucasus region occurred over centuries. The researchers also found that Canaanite populations in different Medina cities were genetically similar to each other. This is a case where genetic similarity is found at the same time as cultural similarity.

In a conversation with the Hiden site, Prof. Liran Carmel" from the Institute of Life Sciences at the Hebrew University, one of the leaders of the research, explains: "The period we are dealing with is the Bronze Age. Our earliest samples are 4,500 years old and the latest samples we tested were about 3,000 years old. We sequenced samples of ancient DNA from five sites from all over the southern Levant - in Israel and Jordan. In total, we received 73 samples from which we extracted DNA. To this we added twenty samples from another four sites that other researchers have tested and published (including from Lebanon) and we could do a large analysis on almost a hundred samples. We saw evidence of cultural influence coming from the Caucasus region but there was no evidence of people coming and mixing genetically. Our research reveals the genetic aspect."

"Canaanites was the collective name of the inhabitants who lived in this area during the Bronze Age. They lived in different country cities but showed the same culture. We checked in our research whether this shared culture is also related to genetic similarity, and there is not necessarily a connection between the two and we showed that genetic similarity exists. We discovered that this genetic mixing is also related to the penetration of culture from the North Caucasus region. Both things happened at the same time. "
"We checked in Madinah cities such as Megiddo and Hazor, whether the population there was the product of genetic mixing, first of all with each other, or whether each Madinah city inhabited genetically different people and as mentioned we showed that there is genetic uniformity among them. We also showed that the Canaanites themselves are a mixture of populations that migrated to the area with populations that lived here before them. We showed that the populations that come from where Iran and the Caucasus countries are today show a clear genetic signature."
According to Prof. Carmel, the migration from the Qouz to the Levant is felt in the genome of the residents throughout this long period, but it is not known whether it was a permanent trickle or separate waves of migration.

Where do the Israelites and the Philistines come into the picture?
"The period we studied corresponds to the period of the patriarchs and the consolidation of the nation of Israel, but we did not examine Jewish populations, nor do we have the possibility to prove among the sequences we examined that there were Jews in this period. The Philistines have not yet arrived either, although in 2017 a study was published about them by researchers from Germany who sampled three cemeteries in Ashkelon from several periods, and discovered great heterogeneity. In the period we analyzed, the Bronze Age, we see that the population in Ashkelon was genetically similar to the other populations in the country, they found that there were two populations - one population that shows no significant change, and another population that shows signs of origin from southern Europe - in the Mediterranean basin area. "

What is known about the relationship with the neighboring cultures? Is it known that Egypt was strong in those times?
Prof. Carmel: "Egypt was indeed very dominant. For a large part of the period it really ruled here and much of what we know about the Canaanites is that they struggled to maintain their independence, especially against Egypt. It is impossible to know if they mixed with the Egyptians because our research is limited to which populations were sampled. Science does not yet have samples of Egypt from that period. It is true that the bodies were embalmed, but the chemical process of preparing the mummies is quite damaging to the DNA. The only way to get good quality DNA from mummies is to go to the bones, but no museum will let us do that. "
Prof. Carmel adds: "Technological breakthroughs in the field of ancient DNA caused a revolution in our ability to reveal the demographic processes that shaped human populations. The current research used these technologies to analyze the origin of the Canaanite populations in the region during the Bronze Age, and to explain some of the demographic processes that have occurred in our region since then."
In a conversation with the science website, he explains that "the field of ancient genetics is one of the new fields in science. Technological capabilities have evolved over the past twenty years. Field of molecular history - to answer historical questions by looking at ancient DNA. If ten years ago almost nothing was known, today we have DNA samples from thousands of modern humans who lived in the last thousands of years. Many studies have been conducted in recent years in different parts of the world - Europe, America, East Asia, and this made it possible to add new information that was not there before and also allows for new insights and new perspectives. Sometimes questions that have been open for decades are even answered. The team I'm a member of decided to do the same thing here and look at the Canaanites. "

"Even today, genetic remains of these Canaanite populations can be found in modern populations originating in the Near East, including the Levant," adds Dr. Shai Carmi, from the School of Public Health at the Hebrew University, one of the leaders of the study. Dr. Karmi continues: "But it is also clear that modern populations were greatly influenced by other demographic processes that happened in later times. In some cases, a later entry from Africa and Europe is evident, which affected the genetics of today's populations."

Dr. Agrant-Tamir: "The entry of people from the regions of Iran and the Caucasus into our region is clearly visible already in examples that are 4,500 years old, and their arrival in the region apparently occurred much earlier. Their genetic influence on the local population continued during the Bronze Age. These results are also supported by archaeological evidence of a Caucasian influence on the cultures of the region approximately 4,900-4,500 years ago."

for the scientific article

More of the topic in Hayadan:

• Scientists were able to reconstruct and sequence an ancient genome with the help of DNA collected from five different Canaanites who lived in today's Lebanon about 4,000 years ago
• We alienate you Israel/Dr. Yehiam Sorek
• The Egyptian settlement in Lod lasted about 300 years
• Ashkenazim on the Silk Road