#ancient genetics

[indo-europeans]

Hittite prosperity was mostly dependent on control of the trade routes (Cilician gates with Mesopotamia) and metal sources

Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II storming Hittite fortress of Dapur

[ancientstuff]

Ancient DNA Sheds New Light on the Biblical Philistines

A team of scientists sequenced genomes from people who lived in a port city on the Mediterranean coast of Israel between the 12th and 8th centuries B.C.

Perhaps the most important finding here is remarked on at the end, that genetics do not last as long as culture. Nice to have physical evidence of this.

[ancientstuff]

Scientists have discovered that waves of migration from Anatolia and the Zagros mountains to the Levant helped develop the Chalcolithic culture that existed in Israel's Upper Galilee region some 6,500 years ago. "Certain characteristics, such as genetic mutations contributing to blue eye color, were not seen in the DNA test results of earlier Levantine human remains," according to one of the researchers.

So blue eyes come from Turkey and the Zagros? They’re a recessive gene, so it’s no wonder they didn’t take hold in the Levant. Very interesting article.

[ancientstuff]

Why Do Genes Suggest Most Men Died Off 7,000 Years Ago?

Modern men's genes suggest that something peculiar happened 5,000 to 7,000 years ago: Most of the male population across Asia, Europe and Africa seems to have died off, leaving behind just one man for every 17 women.

Very interesting new theory on why genetic diversity seemed to come to a halt in the prehistoric period.