By modern times (Fig. 1.2E), a fourth component of ancestry (beige), found at highest levels in Bedouin populations, has left an impact on European populations, particularly those of Italy and the Balkans. This is most likely an effect of the Mediterranean civilisations that dominated the regions for many centuries, culminating in the Roman empire (27 BC – 395 AD), which saw much of the continent subsumed into this growing hegemony. Indeed, this component penetrates the more isolated northern regions to some degree, including France and Germany. Despite its absence in Medieval individuals, the component is also seen in Britain, where it decreases in scale from Southern England to Scotland. Ireland is bypassed almost entirely, as in Scandinavia. Intriguingly, in Iberia this component is also close to absent in the linguistically divergent Basque region, in sharp contrast to neighbouring populations.
Bookmarks