New Iberian study (Feb., 2026)

[Friends of Oliver Society]

Silva et al., 2026. Genetic and historical perspectives on the early medieval inhumations from the Menga dolmen, Antequera (Spain).
https://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...52409X25005929

A summary:

Ancient DNA from an early medieval individual buried at the Menga dolmen in southern Spain shows that people living in Al-Andalus (8th–11th centuries CE) were not genetically isolated or “purely Iberian”. This individual carried a mixed ancestry profile, combining local Iberian roots with clear North African and Levantine-related ancestry.

When modeled genetically, his ancestry can be approximated as ~45% Iron Age Iberian–like, ~20% deep North African–related, and ~35% Levantine–related ancestry. This kind of profile closely matches other Roman and early medieval individuals from southern Iberia and Italy, showing that Mediterranean gene flow was already well established before and during Islamic rule.

Importantly, this North African and Levantine ancestry was not unique or exotic. Similar proportions appear across southern Iberia from Late Roman times onward, reflecting centuries of movement across the Mediterranean through trade, empire, and later intensified contacts with North Africa after 711 CE. Genetics here does not map cleanly onto religion or culture: individuals with similar DNA could have been Christian, Muslim, Jewish, or pagan.

Takeaway: By the early Middle Ages, southern Iberians were already genetically Mediterranean, shaped by long-term admixture with North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean, rather than sudden population replacement.

Source: Silva et al., 2026. Genetic and historical perspectives on the early medieval inhumations from the Menga dolmen, Antequera (Spain).
https://t.me/s/worldgenetics

[Mopi The Dire Wolf]

Explains Carlos Alcaraz

[gixajo]

Explains Carlos Alcaraz

g]

We had a few ancient individuals, even earlier than this single individual tested in Menga, and from areas closer to where Alcaraz ancestors are, who already explained Carlos Alcaraz.

The study's conclusions were already known thanks to previous other researchs: the North African component entered the Iberian Peninsula in very ancient times in a minimal way (probably related to trade, specially metals), became more established in specific areas during (maybe also Phoenician and Greek) Carthaginian and Roman times (adjacent areas under the same rule), continued during the Visigothic period (Territorial possessions shared by Visigothic counts on both sides of the strait, common ecclesiastical diocese between NW Morocco and Southern Spain.), and increased during Muslim rule. Medieval repopulation efforts during the Reconquista and the expulsion of the Moriscos led to its decline, and the various population movements of the modern era ultimately shaped the current regional distribution, homogenizing the country much more than regional G25 samples show.

A quick summary, but enough to get a rough idea of ​​the topic.

[Mopi The Dire Wolf]

We had a few ancient individuals, even earlier than this single individual tested in Menga, and from areas closer to where Alcaraz ancestors are, who already explained Carlos Alcaraz.

The study's conclusions were already known thanks to previous other researchs: the North African component entered the Iberian Peninsula in very ancient times in a minimal way (probably related to trade, specially metals), became more established in specific areas during (maybe also Phoenician and Greek) Carthaginian and Roman times (adjacent areas under the same rule), continued during the Visigothic period (Territorial possessions shared by Visigothic counts on both sides of the strait, common ecclesiastical diocese between NW Morocco and Southern Spain.), and increased during Muslim rule. Medieval repopulation efforts during the Reconquista and the expulsion of the Moriscos led to its decline, and the various population movements of the modern era ultimately shaped the current regional distribution, homogenizing the country much more than regional G25 samples show.

A quick summary, but enough to get a rough idea of ​​the topic.

What makes Alcaraz unusually exotic imo is actually his thick lips, more than any other feature