NYT SCIENCE: DNA Confirms Oral History of Swahili People
By Elie Dolgin
Section: Science
Source: New York Times
Published Date: March 29, 2023 at 03:00AM
A new analysis of centuries-old bones and teeth collected from six burial sites across coastal Kenya and Tanzania has found that, around 1,000 years ago, local African women began having children with Persian traders — and that the descendants of these unions gained power and status in the highest levels of pre-colonial Swahili society.
The findings help elucidate the foundations of Swahili civilization, and suggest that long-told origin stories, passed down through generations of Swahili families, may be more truthful than many outsiders have presumed.
“The genetics corroborate the Swahili people’s own history that they tell about themselves, not what others were saying about them,” said Esther Brielle, a geneticist and postdoctoral fellow at Harvard who led the DNA analysis with her adviser, David Reich.
The researchers published their findings on Wednesday in the journal Nature.
By Elie Dolgin
Section: Science
Source: New York Times
Published Date: March 29, 2023 at 03:00AM
A genetic analysis of dozens of ancient skeletons from East Africa helps pin down the origins of coastal Swahili society.
A long history of mercantile trade along the eastern shores of Africa left its mark on the DNA of ancient Swahili people.A new analysis of centuries-old bones and teeth collected from six burial sites across coastal Kenya and Tanzania has found that, around 1,000 years ago, local African women began having children with Persian traders — and that the descendants of these unions gained power and status in the highest levels of pre-colonial Swahili society.
The findings help elucidate the foundations of Swahili civilization, and suggest that long-told origin stories, passed down through generations of Swahili families, may be more truthful than many outsiders have presumed.
“The genetics corroborate the Swahili people’s own history that they tell about themselves, not what others were saying about them,” said Esther Brielle, a geneticist and postdoctoral fellow at Harvard who led the DNA analysis with her adviser, David Reich.
The researchers published their findings on Wednesday in the journal Nature.
Read More at: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/29/science/ancient-swahili-dna.html
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