Works at the burial site in Arport (photo: official website, Karin Czech)
A new study that analyzed DNA from 33 members of a Jewish community buried in the 14th century found that there is a genetic link between them and Ashkenazi Jews living today. The study, which was led by Prof. Shai Karmi from the Hebrew University, was published today (Wednesday) in the journal CELL, And as part of it, the DNA was extracted from remains that were discovered in the ancient Jewish cemetery in the city of Erfurt in Germany as part of salvage excavations.
Also, the research found evidence of the presence of two genetic groups among the Jews of Erfurt: one similar to present-day Ashkenazim from Western Europe and one containing DNA from Eastern European sources. In addition, the sampled DNA contains evidence that the Ashkenazim lived in very small communities throughout the Middle Ages.
For example, one third of the Jewish community in Arport were descendants on the maternal side of one ancestral woman.
Burial site in Arport (photo: official website, Karin Czech)
"The data showed that the Ashkenazi Jews were genetically isolated during the 600 years between the 14th century and the present. Any mixing that occurred with other populations was limited in scope and did not materially affect the genetic composition today," explained Prof. Karmi.
A number of researchers have shown in the past that European Jews in the Middle Ages were divided geographically and culturally into two main groups.
The present study also showed the existence of genetically distinct groups.
One group from the city of Erfurt, which may represent the Jews of medieval West Germany, was genetically similar to modern populations of Sephardic Jews as well as contemporary Ashkenazi Jews from France and Germany.
More in Walla!
One BAMA with Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok
In collaboration with BAMA
The job site in Erfurt, Germany (photo: official site, Sam Karmi)
In the second group evidence of mixing with non-Jewish populations from Central or Eastern Europe was seen.
"The Western group of Northern European Jews in the Middle Ages lived around the Rhine region in Germany, where the first Ashkenazi communities were established. The Eastern Jews lived in Eastern Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland. The two groups also differed in their language and customs."
Findings from the city of Erfurt, located on the border between the areas where the Jews of the West and the East lived, document immigration to the city in the 14th century.
The historical, archaeological, and genetic data suggest the hypothesis that Jews from both communities were buried in the city without social separation between them.
After the Middle Ages, the communities merged and created one Ashkenazi culture.
Accordingly, Ashkenazi Jews today appear to be an almost equal mixture of the two medieval groups.
Prof. Shai Karmi (photo: official website, Hebrew University)
The study also found that the population of the first Ashkenazim was so small that a third of the community were descendants from the maternal side of one ancestral woman.
Also, genetic variants were found in Arport, some of which cause serious diseases, which are common today in Ashkenazi Jews but rare in other populations.
The researchers explain that this is a hallmark of a population with a limited number of founders, because these variants were often carried by a very small number of founders, and became common after the population grew numerically.
According to Prof. Karmi, the current findings still require further research: "This is one cemetery from one city for only one century, a fact that makes it difficult for us to apply the conclusions with certainty to the entire Ashkenazi Jewish population throughout the Middle Ages."
Also, while genetic links were found between Erfurt Jews and modern populations from the Middle East, Southern Europe, and Eastern Europe, it was not possible to get reliable estimates for the relative part of each source and to accurately identify the sources.
According to the researchers, there is a need for DNA studies from additional burial sites of Ashkenazi Jews and other populations from the Mediterranean region to confirm the results of the study and to better understand the genetic origins of the first Ashkenazim.
news
Science and environment
Tags
Ashkenazim
Germany
Studies