The genetic history of Portugal over the past 5,000 years.
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2025
Authors
Roca-Rada, X.
Davidson, R.
Williams, M.P.
Villalba-Mouco, V.
Carvalho, A.F.
Ravishankar, S.
Collen, E.
Haarkötter, C.
Taufik, L.
Cuesta-Aguirre, D.R.
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Genome Biology, 2025; 26(1):248-1-248-39
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Background: Recent ancient DNA studies uncovering large-scale demographic events in Iberia have presented very limited data for Portugal, a country located at the westernmost edge of continental Eurasia. Here, we present the most comprehensive collection of Portuguese ancient genome-wide data, from 67 individuals spanning 5000 years of human history, from the Neolithic to the nineteenth century. Results: We identify early admixture between local hunter-gatherers and Anatolianrelated farmers in Neolithic Portugal, with a northeastern–southwestern gradient of increasing Magdalenian-associated ancestry persistence in Iberia. This profile continues into the Chalcolithic, though Bell Beaker-associated sites reveal Portugal’s first evidence of Steppe-related ancestry. Such ancestry has a broader demographic impact during the Bronze Age, despite continuity of local Chalcolithic genetic ancestry and limited Mediterranean connections. The village of Idanha-a-Velha emerges in the Roman period as a site of significant migration and interaction, presenting a notably diverse genetic profile that includes North African and Eastern Mediterranean ancestries. The Early Medieval period is marked by the arrival of Central European genetic diversity, likely linked to migrations of Germanic tribes, adding to coeval local, African, and Mediterranean influences. The Islamic and Christian Conquest periods show strong genetic continuity in northern Portugal and significant additional African admixture in the south. The latter remains stable during the post-Islamic period, suggesting enduring African influences. Conclusions: We reveal dynamic patterns of migration in line with cultural exchange across millennia, but also the persistence of local ancestries. Our findings integrate genetic information with historical and archeological data, enhancing our understanding of Iberia’s biological and cultural heritage.
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© The Author(s) 2025, corrected publication 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.