Candela L. Hernández

The study of the cultural, skeletal and genetic signatures left by classical ancient human civilizations has long fascinated anthropologists throughout the history of the discipline. Tartessos, an enigmatic protohistorical culture from southwestern Iberia ‒mentioned in biblical sources and by classical authors‒ is experiencing a renewed interest due to recent exceptional archaeological discoveries in the Middle Guadiana Valley (Extremadura, Spain). Besides cultural evidence, anthropological genetics can provide a window into past human history by examining biological data from contemporary populations. This project aims to assess whether the genetic signatures of Tartessos can be traced to the area where the most recent presence of the civilization has been identified. To address our objectives, we will generate whole-genome sequences from nearly 40 autochthonous individuals from Extremadura to examine the evolutionary history and genetic structure of the population. We will then integrate these newly generated sequences with previously published ancient genomic data from Tartessians and Phoenicians in order to detect a potential ancestral component in southwestern Iberians, present since the Iron Age. This proposal relies on the integration of biology (genetics) and culture (archaeology) for propelling anthropology towards a more holistic understanding of past human cultures and their genetic legacy in contemporary populations.