Special Issue "Family Identities: How Genetics Is Contributing to Genealogical (Re)search"

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María Soledad Mesa

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Fernando Castilla

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Genealogy 2023, 7(3), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy7030052 - 31 Jul 2023

Viewed by 1093

Abstract

In most Western European societies, surnames pass from generation to generation and in cases where surnames are shared by fathers to children, the Y chromosome passes down from fathers to male offspring in the same way as surnames do. The aim of this [...] Read more.

In most Western European societies, surnames pass from generation to generation and in cases where surnames are shared by fathers to children, the Y chromosome passes down from fathers to male offspring in the same way as surnames do. The aim of this study was to ascertain the patrilineal relationship between individuals with the surname “Castilla” and their respective Y-chromosome haplotypes. The toponymic surname “Castilla” is part of the Spanish royal family. Genealogical studies of this surname have allowed the formulation of different hypotheses about its origin, most of which were centered in Burgos. To shed some light on the origin of the surname Castilla and to investigate the possible co-ancestry behind the living carriers of this surname, markers located in the Y chromosome-specific region were analyzed in a sample of 102 men whose paternal surname was Castilla. The study aimed to establish the minimum number of founders and the expansion time of the lineages from our sample. Two major haplogroups were identified: R1b and E1b1b-M81. The high frequency of the E1b1b-M81 haplogroup in comparison to that of the general Spanish population, its low haplotype diversity, and its young TMRCA (323+/− 255 years CE) are compatible with the historical timing of the obligation to use surnames. However, the coincidence of the most common haplogroup in the Castilla sample and the most frequent haplogroup in the Spanish general population, R1b, makes it difficult to identify founder haplotypes/haplogroups in the history of the Castilla surname. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Family Identities: How Genetics Is Contributing to Genealogical (Re)search)

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Open AccessArticle

How Mitochondrial DNA Can Write Pre-History: Kinship and Culture in Duero Basin (Spain) during Chalcolithic and Bronze Age

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Cristina Martínez-Labarga

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Ángel Esparza-Arroyo

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Olga Rickards

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Luis Javier Martinez-Gonzalez

Genealogy 2023, 7(3), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy7030051 - 27 Jul 2023

Viewed by 3500

Abstract

The chronological period from the beginning of the Chalcolithic Age to the end of the Bronze Age on the Iberian northern sub-plateau of the Iberic Peninsula involves interesting social and cultural phenomena, such as the appearance of the Bell Beaker and, later, the [...] Read more.

The chronological period from the beginning of the Chalcolithic Age to the end of the Bronze Age on the Iberian northern sub-plateau of the Iberic Peninsula involves interesting social and cultural phenomena, such as the appearance of the Bell Beaker and, later, the Cogotas I cultures. This work constructs a genetic characterisation of the maternal lineages of the human population that lived on the northern sub-plateau between 5000 and 3000 years ago through an analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), a kind of genetic marker that is inherited through maternal lineages, unaltered from generation to generation. Population and cultural questions are investigated through mtDNA analyses. This study intends to shed light on the following questions. Were individuals who were buried together in multiple or collective burials biologically related through their maternal lineages? Were there distinct maternal human lineages in the same or different geographical areas if different material cultures (Bell Beaker and Cogotas I) were associated with the arrival of new human populations who established close biological relationships with the endogenous populations? Or could this be the result of the transmission of knowledge without human populations mixing? Another important question is whether the material cultures were related to the female populations. We analysed 91 individuals from 28 different archaeological sites of the Iberian northern sub-plateau from four different chrono-cultural periods (Pre-Bell Beaker, Bell Beaker, Proto-Cogotas I, and Cogotas I), from the end of the Chalcolithic Age up to the Bronze Age. There were two historical moments of new populations arriving: the first during the Pre-Bell Beaker period, associated with the K mtDNA haplogroup, and the second during the Proto-Cogotas I culture, with new lineages of the H, HVO, and T haplogroups. Neither of these new population flows were directly associated with the maximum development of the two main material cultures Bell Beaker and Cogotas I, so they must have occurred immediately beforehand, during the Pre-Bell Beaker and Proto-Cogotas I periods, respectively. However, we cannot discard an association between the populations and material cultures. Curiously, it has also been observed that there was also a tendency towards multiple burials, in which the individuals who were buried together belonged to the same maternal lineage, during these two periods of population change. This study has shed some light on the populational changes that occurred through these different periods in this specific geographical area of the northern sub-plateau of the Iberian Peninsula. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Family Identities: How Genetics Is Contributing to Genealogical (Re)search)

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Open AccessArticle

Genetic Population Flows of Southeast Spain Revealed by STR Analysis

by

María Saiz

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Christian Haarkötter

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Juan Carlos Alvarez

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Jose Antonio Lorente

Genealogy 2023, 7(2), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy7020029 - 25 Apr 2023

Viewed by 1531

Abstract

The former Kingdom of Granada, comprising the provinces of Granada, Málaga, and Almería (GMA), was once inhabited for over 700 years (711–1492 AD) by a North African population, which influenced its creation and establishment. The genetic data on 15 autosomal short tandem repeats [...] Read more.

The former Kingdom of Granada, comprising the provinces of Granada, Málaga, and Almería (GMA), was once inhabited for over 700 years (711–1492 AD) by a North African population, which influenced its creation and establishment. The genetic data on 15 autosomal short tandem repeats (STRs) in 245 unrelated donor residents were examined in order to assess any possible admixture. As the two surnames in Spain follow an inheritance similar to the Y chromosome, both surnames of all 245 unrelated individuals were queried and annotated. The Spanish Statistics Office website was consulted to determine the regions with the highest frequency of individuals born bearing each surname. Further, several heraldry and lineage pages were examined to determine the historical origin of the surnames. By AMOVA and STRUCTURE analysis, the populations of the three provinces can be treated genetically as a single population. The analysis of allele frequencies and genetic distance demonstrated that the GMA population lay in the Spanish population group but was slightly more similar to the North African populations than the remainder of the Spanish populations. In addition, the surnames of most individuals originated in Northern and Central Spain, whereas most surnames had higher frequencies in Southern Spain. These results confirm that the GMA population shows no characteristics that reflect a greater genetic influence of North African people than the rest of the populations of the Iberian Peninsula. This feature is consistent with the historical data that African inhabitants were expelled or isolated during the repopulation of the region with Spaniards from Northern Spain. The knowledge of present populations and their genetic history is essential for better statistical results in kinship analyses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Family Identities: How Genetics Is Contributing to Genealogical (Re)search)

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Open AccessArticle

Genetics Unveil the Genealogical Ancestry and Physical Appearance of an Unknown Historical Figure: Lady Leonor of Castile (Spain) (1256–1275)

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María Sonia Fondevila

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Ángel Esparza-Arroyo

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María Victoria Lareu

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Juan Francisco Pastor

Genealogy 2023, 7(2), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy7020028 - 20 Apr 2023

Viewed by 2964

Abstract

Through this study, it has been possible to establish an accurate prediction of the physical characteristics, biogeographical origin, and genealogical ancestry of a previously obscured historical figure: The Princess Lady Leonor of Castile (1256–1275), one of the legitimate daughters of the Spanish King [...] Read more.

Through this study, it has been possible to establish an accurate prediction of the physical characteristics, biogeographical origin, and genealogical ancestry of a previously obscured historical figure: The Princess Lady Leonor of Castile (1256–1275), one of the legitimate daughters of the Spanish King Alfonso X “The Wise”. The genetic analysis of External Visible Characteristics in the mummified remains attributed to this Princess has allowed determining her origin by mitochondrial and nuclear DNA analysis, and her physical appearance for hair, eyes, and skin color by autosomal SNPs. The results show that the mummified remains correspond to a young European woman with black hair, green-hazel eyes, and white skin. Her physical appearance has not been possible to be compared with any pictorial source, but the biogeographical analysis results are consistent with the historiographic genealogical information. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Family Identities: How Genetics Is Contributing to Genealogical (Re)search)

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Open AccessArticle

Maternal Lineages during the Roman Empire, in the Ancient City of Gadir (Cádiz, Spain): The Search for a Phoenician Identity

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Carlos González Wagner

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Manuel Calero-Fresneda

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César López-Matayoshi

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Inês Nogueiro

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José María Gener Basallote

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Elena Labajo González

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Bernardo Perea Pérez

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Juan Miguel Pajuelo

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Eduardo Arroyo Pardo

Genealogy 2023, 7(2), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy7020027 - 17 Apr 2023

Viewed by 3090

Abstract

Phoenicians were probably the first eastern Mediterranean population to establish long-distance connections with the West, namely the Iberian Peninsula, from the final Bronze to the early Iron Age. For a long time, these colonies all over the Mediterranean Sea directly depended on an [...] Read more.

Phoenicians were probably the first eastern Mediterranean population to establish long-distance connections with the West, namely the Iberian Peninsula, from the final Bronze to the early Iron Age. For a long time, these colonies all over the Mediterranean Sea directly depended on an important city administration, Gadir, the most important metropolis in the Western Mediterranean. Modern archaeological excavations were discovered in Cadiz (Spain), the ancient city of Gadir, as well as possible Phoenician burial places. The purpose of the present work is the molecular study of 16 individuals, (V–IV millennium B.C, V A.D.) from several burial places found in Cadiz, attempting to disclose their maternal biogeographical ancestry. Furthermore, the determination of a possible biological link between two individuals found buried together was also an objective of this investigation. Of all the 16 analyzed individuals, eight of them produced positive results. Three main lineages were found: HV0, H and L3b. In general, the results support an Eastern origin for this set of individuals, reinforcing the theory of a Phoenician origin. Due to their historical period, in some cases, it was not possible to discard a Roman origin. Finally, the maternal kinship between two individuals found buried together was discarded. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Family Identities: How Genetics Is Contributing to Genealogical (Re)search)

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Review

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Open AccessReview

Relevance of Genetic Identification and Kinship Analysis in Human and Natural Catastrophes—A Review

by

Alejandra Real-Picado

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Luis Díaz

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Genealogy 2023, 7(3), 44; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy7030044 - 27 Jun 2023

Viewed by 513

Abstract

Different types of disasters, whether natural or human in character, lead to the significant loss of human lives. In the latter case, the quick action of identification of corpses and human remains is mandatory. There are a variety of protocols to identify victims; [...] Read more.

Different types of disasters, whether natural or human in character, lead to the significant loss of human lives. In the latter case, the quick action of identification of corpses and human remains is mandatory. There are a variety of protocols to identify victims; however, genetics is one of the tools that allows an exact identification of the victim. However, several factors may interfere with this identification, from the biological samples’ degradation not allowing the analysis of nuclear information, to failure to dispose of biological samples from family members. Access to certain family members could be a determinant of the proper choice of genetic markers that allow the identification of the victim, or his/her inclusion in a given genetic maternal or paternal lineage. New advances in the field of genetics are soon expected to allow for the identification of victims from disasters with only their biological postmortem samples; it may also be possible to draw a robot portrait of a victim’s most likely physical characteristics. In all cases, genetics is the only modern tool with universal character and can be used in essentially all biological samples, giving and identification of more or less accurate statistical character, depending on whether nuclear or lineage markers are used. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Family Identities: How Genetics Is Contributing to Genealogical (Re)search)

Open AccessReview

The Study of Adoption in Archaeological Human Remains

by

Manuel Lozano-García

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and

Genealogy 2023, 7(2), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy7020038 - 28 May 2023

Viewed by 1484

Abstract

This review aims to establish criteria for identifying an adoption process in an archaeological context. We define adoption as raising an individual who does not belong genetically to the family. Adoption appears in different moments of past societies, and when establishing a “family” [...] Read more.

This review aims to establish criteria for identifying an adoption process in an archaeological context. We define adoption as raising an individual who does not belong genetically to the family. Adoption appears in different moments of past societies, and when establishing a “family” nucleus burial place we must consider certain social behaviors, such as burials under the houses, collective burials, or laying bodies in specific positions. After observing these signs, we are carrying out a genetic analysis, in order to confirm a biologically related family nucleus. These traces have been traditionally linked to family nuclei because they have been found previously in burials where biological kinship was confirmed. However, there can be cases where, after carrying out the genetic analyses, it is confirmed that certain individuals are not genetically related. In such cases, an adoption case cannot be ruled out. These cases are not easy to identify due to the differences between societies and cultures, so more in-depth studies should be carried out on the type of funeral practice in which these human remains are found to be able to discriminate an adopted individual from one who was not adopted. Therefore, the study of adoption should be carried out based on an in-depth knowledge of the cultural background, before using a powerful tool such as ancient DNA technology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Family Identities: How Genetics Is Contributing to Genealogical (Re)search)

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Open AccessReview

Difficulties in Kinship Analysis for Victims’ Identification in Armed Conflicts

by

Gabriel Manera-Scliar

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Santiago Hernández

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Miguel Martín-López

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