Prehistoric Iberia: Genetics, Anthropology, and Linguistics

256 Pages·2000·9.46 MB·English

by  J. Martínez-Laso

PREHISTORIC IBERIA
Genetics, Anthropology, and Linguistics
PREHISTORIC IBERIA
Genetics, Anthropology, and Linguistics
Edited by
Antonio Arnaiz-Villena
Hospital "12 de Octubre"
Universidad Complutense
Madrid, Spain
Assistant Editors
Jo rge Martinez-Laso
Eduardo G6mez-Casado
Hospital "12 de Octubre"
Universidad Complutense
Madrid, Spain
SPRINGER SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, LLC
Antonio Arnaiz-Villena
e-mail: [email protected]
Proceedings of an International Conference on Prehistoric Jberia: Genetics, Anthropology, and
Linguistics, held November 16-17, 1998, in Madrid, Spain
ISBN 978-1-4613-6900-4 ISBN 978-1-4615-4231-5 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4615-4231-5
©2000 Springer Science+Business Media New York
Originally published by Kluwer AcademiclPlenum Publishers in 2000
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1s t edition 2000
AII rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written
permission from the Publisher.
Contributors
Alonso-Garcia J. Fundacion de Estudios Geneticos y Lingiiisticos,
Madrid, Spain.
Arnaiz-Villena A. Department ofI mmunology and Molecular
Biology, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Universidad
Complutense, Madrid, Spain.
Cabrera V.M. Departamento de Genetica, Facultad de
Biologia, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife,
Islas Can arias, Spain.
Castro Maria J. Department ofI mmunology and Molecular
Biology, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Universidad
Complutense, Madrid, Spain.
Escacena Carrasco J. L. Prehistory and Archeology Department.
University ofS eville, Seville, Spain.
Esteban E. Departament de Biologia Animal-Antropologia,
Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona,
Barcelona, Spain.
Fernandez-Santander A. Departamento de Biologia Animal, Facultad de
Biologia, Universidad Complutense, Madrid,
Spain.
Flores C. Departamento de Genetica, Facultad de
Biologia, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife,
Islas Can arias, Spain.
Gomez-Casado E. Department ofI mmunology and Molecular
Biology, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Universidad
Complutense, Madrid, Spain.
v
vi Contributors
Gonzalez A.M. Departamento de Genetica, Facultad de
Biologla, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife,
Islas Canarias, Spain.
Gonzalez-Hevilla M. Department ofI mmunology and Molecular
Biology, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Universidad
Complutense, Madrid, Spain.
Hernandez M. Departamento de Genetica, Facultad de
Biologia, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife,
Islas Canarias, Spain.
KandilM. Departement de Biologie, Faculte des Sciences,
Universite Chouai"b Doukkali, EI Jadida,
Morocco.
Longas J. Department ofI mmunology and Molecular
Biology, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Universidad
Complutense, Madrid, Spain.
Martinez-Laso J. Department ofI mmunology and Molecular
Biology, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Universidad
Complutense, Madrid, Spain.
MoralP. Departament de Biologia Animal-Antropologia,
Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona,
Barcelona, Spain.
Onrubia Pintado J. Departamento de Historia, Facultad de Letras,
Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Ciudad
Real, Spain.
RuhlenM. Department ofP rogram in Human Biology.
Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA.
Sanchez-Mazas A. Department ofA nthropology, University of
Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Valveny N. Departament de Biologia Animal-Antropologia,
Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona,
Barcelona, Spain.
Varela P. Department ofI mmunology and Molecular
Biology, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Universidad
Complutense, Madrid, Spain.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported in part by grants from the Ministerio de
Educacion (PM95-57 and PM96-21) and Comunidad de Madrid (06/70/97
and 8.3/14/98).
VB
Preface
The symposium "Prehistoric Iberia: genetics, anthropology and
linguistics" was held in the Circulo de Bellas Artes, Madrid on 16th -17th
November 1998. The idea was bringing together specialists who could
address not clearly resolved historic and prehistoric issues regarding ancient
Iberian and Mediterranean populations, following a multidisciplinary
approach. This was necessary in the light of the new bulk of genetic,
archeological and linguistic data obtained with the new DNA technology and
the recent discoverings in the other fields. Genes may now be easily studied
in populations, particularly HLA genes and markers of the mitochondrial
DNA and the Y chromosome. Basques, Iberians, North Africans, Berbers
(Imazighen) and Mediterraneans have presently been widely studied. The
genetic emerging picture is that Mediterraneans are closely related from
West (Basque, Iberians, Berbers) to East (Jews, Lebanese, Cretans);
however, Greeks are outliers in all the analyses done by using HLA genes.
Anthropologists and archeologists showed how there was no people
substitution during the revolutionary Mesolithic-Neolithic transition; in
addition, cultural relationships were found between Iberia and predinastic
Egypt (EI Badari culture).
Basque language translation into Spanish has been the key for relating
most Mediterranean extinct languages. The Usko-Mediterranean languages
were once spoken in a wide African and European area, which also included
parts of Asia. This was the "old language" that was slowly substituted by
Eurasian languages starting approximately after the Bronze Age (or 2,000
years BC). We must thank the Basque people for preserving their cultural
heritage throughout time in spite of strong pressures against it.
I must say that understanding among different specialists was only
apparently easy; however, the general way of doing and the different degree
of internal self-criticism in different areas of knowledge was evidenced.
Notwithstanding, this type of interdisciplinary meetings is necessary to
radically addressing particular questions, such as the prehistory of Iberia in
relation with other Mediterranean areas, particularly with North Africa.
Some of the participants were themselves following interdisciplinary
ix
x Preface
approaches in their work since long time ago. This is the fIrst meeting, as far
as I know, in which scholars studying genetics, anthropology and linguistics
gathered.
The overall picture that emerged from the meeting is that during, between
and after glacial peaks (the last one occurred about 18,000 years Be)
important cultural and gene flow occurred among Mediterraneans. There
were no Asian, African or European barriers and contacts were probably
obtained by circum-Mediterranean shipping. Evidences against the demic
diffusion model (i.e.: agriculturalist people from Middle East coming into
western Europe and substituting hunter-gatherer people and old technology)
were accumulated from the genetic, anthropological and linguistic point of
view.
The old Mediterranean community probably had a common genetic,
cultural and linguistic substratum, which was taken by newcomers (the
Greeks) after 2,000 BC. They took Minoan language and also Minoan,
Middle East and Anatolian cultures and with their own organizative abilities
were going to establish the bases of our extant western civilization.
We must thank the great effort done for the meeting organization by
Jorge Martinez-Laso, Manuel Martin-Villa, Pilar Varela, Ana Delgado,
Javier Tnipaga, Isabel Gonzalez-Cham6n, and all components of the
Department of Immunology and Molecular Biology (Universidad
Complutense) at Hospital 12 de Octubre. The main conclusions of this
meeting are reflected in the present book by the participants.
Antonio Amaiz-Villena
Madrid
Septeniber 26, 1999
Contents
Part I GENETICS
1. Genetic and Historical Relationships Among Mediterraneans
J. Martinez-Laso, E. Gomez-Casado, P. Varela, M. Gonzalez-Hevilla,
J. Alonso-Garcia, J. Longas, and A. Arnaiz-Villena ............................... 3
2. Genetic Affinities Among Human Populations Inhabiting the
Sub-Saharan Area, Northwest Africa, and the Iberian Peninsula
C. Flores, M. Hernandez, A. M. Gonzalez, and V. M. Cabrera ............ 33
3. The History of Iberian and Moroccan Populations: Evidence from
Genetic Data (DNA Studies and Classical Polymorphisms)
P. Moral, M. Kandil, A. Fernandez-Santander, E. Esteban,
and N. Valveny ...................................................................................... 51
4. The Berbers of North Africa: Genetic Relationships According to
lILA and other Polymorphisms
A. Sanchez-Mazas ................................................................................. 65
Part II ANTHROPOLOGY
5. Berber Ethnogenesis: The Origin of the First Berber-Speaking
Social Formations
J. Onrubia Pintado ................................................................................. 81
xi
xu Contents
6. Applications of Evolutive Archeology: Migrations from Africa to
Iberia in the Recent Prehistory
J. L. Escacena Carrasco ....................................................................... 125
Part III LINGUISTICS
7. Deciphering the Iberian-Tartesian Language
J. Alonso-Garcia, Maria J. Castro, J. Martinez-Laso, and
A. Arnaiz-Villena ................................................................................ 165
8. The Basque Language Is Included in the Dene-Caucasian Language
Family
M. Ruhlen ............................................................................................ 197
9. The Usko-Mediterranean Languages
A. Arnaiz-Villena and J. Alonso-Garcia ............................................. 205
Index ................................................................................................... 247