Punic people were genetically diverse with almost no Levantine ancestors

Harald Ringbauer (), Ayelet Salman-Minkov, Dalit Regev, Iñigo Olalde, Tomer Peled, Luca Sineo, Gioacchino Falsone, Peter Dommelen, Alissa Mittnik, Iosif Lazaridis, Davide Pettener, Maria Bofill, Ana Mezquida, Benjamí Costa, Helena Jiménez, Patricia Smith, Stefania Vai, Alessandra Modi, Arie Shaus, Kim Callan, Elizabeth Curtis, Aisling Kearns, Ann Marie Lawson, Matthew Mah, Adam Micco, Jonas Oppenheimer, Lijun Qiu, Kristin Stewardson, J. Noah Workman, Nicholas Márquez-Grant, Antonio M. Sáez Romero, María Luisa Lavado Florido, Juan Manuel Jiménez-Arenas, Isidro Jorge Toro Moyano, Enrique Viguera, José Suárez Padilla, Sonia López Chamizo, Tomas Marques-Bonet, Esther Lizano, Alicia Rodero Riaza, Francesca Olivieri, Pamela Toti, Valentina Giuliana, Alon Barash, Liran Carmel, Elisabetta Boaretto, Marina Faerman, Michaela Lucci, Francesco Pastina, Alessia Nava, Francesco Genchi, Carla Vais, Gabriele Lauria, Francesca Meli, Paola Sconzo, Giulio Catalano, Elisabetta Cilli, Anna Chiara Fariselli, Francesco Fontani, Donata Luiselli, Brendan J. Culleton, Swapan Mallick, Nadin Rohland, Lorenzo Nigro, Alfredo Coppa, David Caramelli, Ron Pinhasi, Carles Lalueza-Fox, Ilan Gronau () and David Reich ()
Additional contact information
Harald Ringbauer: Harvard University
Ayelet Salman-Minkov: Reichman University
Dalit Regev: Israel Antiquities Authority
Iñigo Olalde: Harvard University
Tomer Peled: Reichman University
Luca Sineo: University of Palermo
Gioacchino Falsone: University of Palermo
Peter Dommelen: Brown University
Alissa Mittnik: Harvard University
Iosif Lazaridis: Harvard University
Davide Pettener: University of Bologna
Maria Bofill: Archaeological Museum of Ibiza and Formentera
Ana Mezquida: Archaeological Museum of Ibiza and Formentera
Benjamí Costa: Archaeological Museum of Ibiza and Formentera
Helena Jiménez: Archaeological Museum of Ibiza and Formentera
Patricia Smith: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Stefania Vai: University of Florence
Alessandra Modi: University of Florence
Arie Shaus: Harvard University
Kim Callan: Harvard Medical School
Elizabeth Curtis: Harvard Medical School
Aisling Kearns: Harvard Medical School
Ann Marie Lawson: Harvard Medical School
Matthew Mah: Harvard Medical School
Adam Micco: Harvard Medical School
Jonas Oppenheimer: Harvard Medical School
Lijun Qiu: Harvard Medical School
Kristin Stewardson: Harvard Medical School
J. Noah Workman: Harvard Medical School
Nicholas Márquez-Grant: Cranfield University
Antonio M. Sáez Romero: Universidad de Sevilla
María Luisa Lavado Florido: Archaeologist, independent researcher
Juan Manuel Jiménez-Arenas: Universidad de Granada
Isidro Jorge Toro Moyano: Museo Arqueológico de Granada
Enrique Viguera: Universidad de Málaga
José Suárez Padilla: Universidad de Málaga
Sonia López Chamizo: Universidad de Málaga
Tomas Marques-Bonet: PRBB
Esther Lizano: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Alicia Rodero Riaza: Museo Arqueológico Nacional Madrid
Francesca Olivieri: Ministry of Cultural Heritage
Pamela Toti: The Giuseppe Whitaker Foundation
Valentina Giuliana: Department of Archaeology
Alon Barash: The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine
Liran Carmel: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Elisabetta Boaretto: D-REAMS Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory
Marina Faerman: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Michaela Lucci: Sapienza University of Rome
Francesco Pastina: University of Palermo
Alessia Nava: Sapienza University of Rome
Francesco Genchi: Sapienza University of Rome
Carla Vais: University of Cagliari
Gabriele Lauria: University of Palermo
Francesca Meli: University of Palermo
Paola Sconzo: University of Palermo
Giulio Catalano: University of Palermo
Elisabetta Cilli: University of Bologna
Anna Chiara Fariselli: University of Bologna
Francesco Fontani: Max Planck Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean (MHAAM)
Donata Luiselli: University of Bologna
Brendan J. Culleton: Penn State University
Swapan Mallick: Harvard Medical School
Nadin Rohland: Harvard University
Lorenzo Nigro: Sapienza University of Rome
Alfredo Coppa: University of Vienna
David Caramelli: University of Florence
Ron Pinhasi: University of Vienna
Carles Lalueza-Fox: PRBB
Ilan Gronau: Reichman University
David Reich: Harvard University

Nature, 2025, vol. 643, issue 8070, 139-147

Abstract: Abstract The maritime Phoenician civilization from the Levant transformed the entire Mediterranean during the first millennium bce1–3. However, the extent of human movement between the Levantine Phoenician homeland and Phoenician–Punic settlements in the central and western Mediterranean has been unclear in the absence of comprehensive ancient DNA studies. Here, we generated genome-wide data for 210 individuals, including 196 from 14 sites traditionally identified as Phoenician and Punic in the Levant, North Africa, Iberia, Sicily, Sardinia and Ibiza, and an early Iron Age individual from Algeria. Levantine Phoenicians made little genetic contribution to Punic settlements in the central and western Mediterranean between the sixth and second centuries bce, despite abundant archaeological evidence of cultural, historical, linguistic and religious links4. Instead, these inheritors of Levantine Phoenician culture derived most of their ancestry from a genetic profile similar to that of Sicily and the Aegean. Much of the remaining ancestry originated from North Africa, reflecting the growing influence of Carthage5. However, this was a minority contributor of ancestry in all of the sampled sites, including in Carthage itself. Different Punic sites across the central and western Mediterranean show similar patterns of high genetic diversity. We also detect genetic relationships across the Mediterranean, reflecting shared demographic processes that shaped the Punic world.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-08913-3

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