Original subtitles

The Palestinian people are incredibly diverse.

For example, when you go to the northern regions,

people typically have higher levels of ancient Anatolian DNA.

And when you go to the south towards Egypt,

people typically have higher levels of ancient Natufian-related ancestry.

What's interesting about the Palestinian genome

is that they are a combination of the three Stone Age populations that shaped the Levant.

We are going to look at the Palestinian genome

through a variety of different time periods

to understand who these people are from a genetic perspective.

Over here, I've got a Stone Age DNA breakdown of the average Palestinian genome.

And interestingly, what we see is that 33% of their DNA is Natufian-related.

The Natufians were a proto-agriculturalist culture from the Levant

who lived between 15,000 to 11,500 years ago.

Today, this genomic component is found highest in populations found in Yemen.

But if you look closely at this breakdown over here,

what you see is that around 35% of the average Palestinian genome

is Anatolian Neolithic farmer derived.

The Anatolian Neolithic farmers lived just north of the Natufians.

Around 9,000 years ago, they begin to migrate into both Europe and the Levant.

And by entering into the latter, they mix with the Natufians,

forming a new genomic component known as Levant Neolithic farmer.

Levant Neolithic farmer DNA makes up around 50 to 60% of the Palestinian genome.

And it is a characteristic genetic signal found in West Asia as well as parts of Europe.

The Stone Age in the Levant ended approximately 7,000 years ago

and was soon followed by the Copper Age.

The Copper Age was characterized by mass movements of Copper Age Iranian people

known as the Iranian Chalcolithics.

Before they migrated, the people in the Levant were almost as genetically divergent

to the Iranian people as East Asians are to Europeans today.

But over the course of thousands of years,

there were waves of diverse populations that migrated into the Levant,

bringing a distinct Iranian Chalcolithic component into the region

and setting the foundation for groups such as the Canaanites.

The Canaanites were a distinctive Northwestern Semitic-speaking culture

that lived in the heart of the Bronze Age world.

They were expert seafarers who, 3,500 years ago,

colonized territories throughout the Mediterranean,

reaching as far as the Iberian Peninsula.

Using techniques similar to what I offer in my Deep Ancestry analysis,

I have performed a Bronze Age statistical DNA comparison of the Palestinian genome

against all the Bronze Age DNA samples available in the G25 database.

The Palestinians derive a significant portion of their ancestry,

between 50 to 80% from groups genetically similar to the Bronze Age Canaanites.

Across the board, the Samaritans have the highest genetic similarities

to these Bronze Age populations, being up to 80% genetically similar.

For a full breakdown of these calculations,

be sure to watch my video on how to calculate archaic admixture.

Now, a question I get asked all the time is,

are the modern Palestinians related to the ancient Philistines?

The Philistines were a group of people who likely originated in Anatolia and the Aegean.

They were a sea people who, alongside many others,

were a catalyst behind the late Bronze Age collapse.

Pharaoh Ramses III conquered the Philistines,

who the Egyptians called the Peleset,

and is said to have relocated them somewhere in the southern Levant.

Whilst genetic and archaeological evidence can verify the existence of the Philistines,

the modern Palestinians are not genetically related to them.

Over here, I've got a Bronze Age genetic distance chart,

and what we can see is that the modern populations most closely related to the ancient Philistines

are in fact the Greeks and Italians.

Greek DNA, when detected, does not exceed levels greater than 15% in the modern Palestinians,

and may also be attributed to more recent migrations.

After this, the region was then conquered by the Assyrians,

then the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and finally the Romans,

who renamed the region to Palestine after the Jewish revolts.

With the Byzantine Empire being weakened,

the Levant was soon conquered by the Islamic Rashidun Caliphate in the 7th century AD.

Amongst Palestinian Muslims, this Arabic DNA component peaks at around 20%,

but it is important to note that Arabs have always existed in the southern Levant

dating as far back as the Iron Age.

After this, the Crusaders invaded but left minimal genetic impact.

The area was then ruled by various Caliphs until the Ottomans conquered the region.

It is at this point where we start to see major foreign admixture amongst the Palestinians,

from groups such as the Egyptians, North Africans, Circassians, Kurds, and even the Bosnians.

And there we go.

These migrations, for the most part, encapsulate the Palestinian genetic origin.

The Palestinian people exhibit great diversity,

but one thing which unites them all is the shared connection they have

to one of the world's oldest historic regions.

If you've done an existing DNA test and you're interested in learning more about your own genetic origin,

be sure to check out my Deep Ancestry services to unlock the secrets of your heritage.

The video that you are watching was also made using AI technology.

If you're interested in learning how to use AI to make content just like this video,

be sure to also check out my AI tutorial video too.

This is Ancestral Brew's AI-generated voice signing out. Peace.