Moors and Saracens in Europe: estimating the medieval North African male legacy in southern Europe

Eur J Hum Genet. 2009 Jun;17(6):848-52. doi: 10.1038/ejhg.2008.258. Epub 2009 Jan 21.

Abstract

To investigate the male genetic legacy of the Arab rule in southern Europe during medieval times, we focused on specific Northwest African haplogroups and identified evolutionary close STR-defined haplotypes in Iberia, Sicily and the Italian peninsula. Our results point to a higher recent Northwest African contribution in Iberia and Sicily in agreement with historical data. southern Italian regions known to have experienced long-term Arab presence also show an enrichment of Northwest African types. The forensic and genomic implications of these findings are discussed.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Africa, Northern / ethnology
  • Arabs / genetics*
  • Chromosomes, Human, Y / genetics*
  • Europe
  • Evolution, Molecular
  • Genetics, Population*
  • Geography
  • Haplotypes
  • Humans
  • Male