A story of genetic replacement on the island of Ibiza

Ancient DNA from Ibiza demonstrates a clear genetic discontinuity between the early Phoenician settlers and the modern inhabitants of the island according to a study led by the University of Otago and the Lebanese American University and  with the collaboration of IBE, published in Science Reports.

“We expected a complex pattern of settlement of the island of Ibiza, but we never expected to witness genetic replacement. Replacing an entire population is not something we have seen much of throughout history” explains Pierre Zalloua from the University of Otago and autor of the article.  Based on the mtDNA results, the study results showed clear genetic discontinuity between the early Phoenician settlers and the modern inhabitants of the island.

Reference:
Pierre Zalloua, Catherine J. Collins, Anna Gosling, Simone Andrea Biagini, Benjamí Costa, Olga; Ancient DNA of Phoenician remains indicates discontinuity in the settlement history of Ibiza; Scientific Reports; volume 8, Article number: 17567 (December 2018)

More information:
IBE Website