The DNA analysis showed that the Canaanites were created from the mixing of populations that migrated to the southern Levant mainly from the Caucasus region (or western Iran) with ancient local populations that stayed there, a process that lasted at least 1,000 years
In the Late Bronze Age, Canaan was a land that later became known as the Land of Israel. In the Bible, this is the main name of the land before its conquest by the Israelites. In the biblical story and in other ancient sources from the Near East, the Canaanites are mentioned as the peoples who lived in Canaan before the conquest. They lived in fortified city-states headed by kings and spoke different dialects that were very close to biblical Hebrew, but very little is known about them and their origins.
A team of researchers, including researchers from the Hebrew University - Prof. Liran Carmel, an expert in computational biology from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, and Prof. Binyamin Yakir, a statistician from the Department of Statistics and Data Science, sought to decipher - with the help of a research grant from the National Science Foundation - the genetics of the Canaanites and its relationship to the populations Women of our time who live in the southern Levant (such as Jews, Palestinians, Jordanians, Druze, Syrians and Bedouins).
What is the question? What is the genetics of the ancient Canaanites? And how did it affect modern populations?
"The Late Bronze Age is one of the most significant periods in the history of the Land of Israel, in which events took place that shaped the population structure in the region. It began in 3,300 BC and ended around 1,200 BC (ended about 3,000 years ago). During this period, new populations were created and nations were formed, for example the Jews. We wanted to discover the genetics of the Canaanite populations and check how it is related to that of the modern populations living in the area. Thus, using ancient DNA, we are examining human history in new ways," explains Prof. Carmel. Canaanite finds from Megiddo Hill (courtesy of Megiddo Archaeological Expedition)
The researchers collaborated with archaeologists who excavated at Canaanite sites from across the southern Levant - in Israel and Jordan - mainly in Tel Megiddo (a central Canaanite city-state in northern Israel) and also in Yehud, Tel Hazor, Tel Abel Beit Ma'akah (near Metula) and the Jordan Valley. In the excavations, bones of people who lived during this period were found, including the Petrus bone, which is hidden inside the skull, behind the inner ear, and preserves DNA very well. They sent the bone samples to Prof. David Reich from Harvard University, owner of one of the largest and most important ancient DNA laboratories in the world, where they drill into the bones, extract powder with DNA from them and carry out genetic sequencing. The researchers then analyzed the sequence of letters obtained, that is, they performed a statistical and mathematical analysis of the genome.
Thus they found that the Canaanites were created from the mixing of populations that migrated to the southern Levant mainly from the Caucasus region (or western Iran) with ancient local populations that stayed there, a process that lasted at least 1,000 years. "The DNA analysis revealed that the Canaanites are a mixture of the Caucasian population and populations that previously lived in the southern Levant (farmers from the Neolithic period). We saw that the genetic material from the Caucasus kept increasing until finally a situation arose where the genetics of the Canaanites was composed of 50% Caucasus and 50% South Levant", explains Prof. Carmel.
It was also found that the Canaanites who lived in different cities of the country, such as Tel Megiddo and Tel Hazor, had a similar genetic profile, the same combination of Caucasians and locals. "We examined whether the shared culture of the country's cities also affected the genetic similarity and whether the populations in them were the product of genetic mixing, first of all with each other, or whether each country's city inhabited populations with different genetics. Finally, we showed that there is genetic uniformity between them," says Prof. Carmel.
The researchers wanted to check how the genome of the ancient populations affected the genome of the modern populations. It was found that the genetic material that came from the Near East, i.e. from Canaanites, Caucasians and Western Iranians, characterizes all the modern populations tested - Jews, Palestinians and Bedouins.
In addition, the researchers examined existing databases on modern populations - genetic sequences made on DNA extracted from blood samples of Jews, Palestinians and Bedouins, and calculated the percentage of genetic origin that came from the Near East (Canaanites, Caucasians and Western Iranians), Europe and Africa ("We realized that for 3,000 years Events happened that involved Europe and Africa in the southern Levant region - the arrival of immigrants and fighters, and more"). This, using statistical tools they developed with Prof. Shai Karmi, a researcher in the fields of genetic epidemiology and population genetics from the Hebrew University. That is, they wanted to check how the genome of the ancient populations affected the genome of the modern populations. It was found that DNA that comes from the Near East, i.e. from Canaanites, Caucasians and Western Iranians, characterizes all the modern populations tested - Jews, Palestinians and Bedouins. These days, the researchers are also looking at the same populations from the epigenetic angle - that is, how the changing environmental conditions (such as the beginning of the use of fire) affected their way of life and their heredity.
Life itself:
- Prof. Liran Carmel, 51, married + three children (20, 16, 16), lives in Shoham, in his spare time likes to play chess. Dear Benjamin
- Prof. Benjamin Yakir, 62, married + four children (30, 29, 25, 23). Lives in Tel Aviv, likes to travel on foot.
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