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Medieval Mediterranean Island Reveals Global Connections Through DNA Study
Medievalists ^ | April 2026 | editors / unattributed

Posted on 04/23/2026 7:04:15 PM PDT by SunkenCiv

Ibiza became part of the Islamic world in the year 902, when it was conquered by the Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba. Settlement followed rapidly, taking place within little more than a generation, and by the twelfth century the island had developed into a modest but active urban centre within al-Andalus.

Positioned along key maritime routes, Ibiza was not an isolated outpost but part of a dynamic network linking Iberia, North Africa, and the wider Mediterranean. This broader context helps explain the striking diversity uncovered in the new study, published in Nature Communications.

The research team analysed 13 individuals buried between the tenth and twelfth centuries in the Maqbara of Madina Yabisa, a Muslim cemetery discovered in Ibiza town. The site originally contained around 125 burials, with individuals interred according to Islamic customs -- laid on their right side and facing toward Mecca, typically in simple, unadorned graves.

Despite this uniform burial practice, the genetic data revealed a highly varied population. Some individuals had predominantly European ancestry, others North African, while many showed a mixture of both. This diversity reflects the demographic changes following the Islamic conquest, as newcomers from North Africa and beyond settled alongside local populations.

(Excerpt) Read more at medievalists.net ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: ancientautopsies; ancientnavigation; godsgravesglyphs; helixmakemineadouble; ibiza; middleages; umayyads

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Medievalists
Medievalists

1 posted on 04/23/2026 7:04:15 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
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The history of medieval navigation on the Iberian peninsula is a great mystery. In the 1970s, a recreational diver found a bronze candelabra in Ibiza which Marcus H. Hermanns, a scientist from the German Archaeological Institute in Madrid, has now unveiled. It is a unique piece from the 10th century which could provide clues on sea routes in the period.
Source: Plataforma SINC
Source: Plataforma SINC
Medievalists: 10th century find points to medieval sea routes around Ibiza

2 posted on 04/23/2026 7:04:45 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (TDS -- it's not just for DNC shills anymore -- oh, wait, yeah it is.)
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To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...
Slavery in the Islamic world?!? /rimshot

3 posted on 04/23/2026 7:06:01 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (TDS -- it's not just for DNC shills anymore -- oh, wait, yeah it is.)
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To: SunkenCiv
Slavery in the Islamic world?!?

Nah, the people from Chad and the Senegambia region took themselves to Ibiza for the arbitrage opportunities.

4 posted on 04/23/2026 7:10:06 PM PDT by Tax-chick (Sounds like a great idea, with the best of intentions. What could possibly go wrong?)
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To: SunkenCiv
“helps explain the striking diversity”

Would that be the captured women and slaves from muslim raids on other lands?

5 posted on 04/23/2026 7:19:28 PM PDT by Deaf Smith (When a Texan takes his chances, chances will be taken that's for sure.)
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To: SunkenCiv

I was watching a video of a group of various non-whites comparing their genetic histories. All of them had Iberian genes. I thought it was remarkable they all the same genetic markers considering the wide variety of non-white people represented. Hispanics. Africans. Arabs. Others.


6 posted on 04/23/2026 7:28:12 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
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To: Deaf Smith

That would be my guess.


7 posted on 04/23/2026 8:22:36 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (TDS -- it's not just for DNC shills anymore -- oh, wait, yeah it is.)
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