Ancient DNA reveals Zagros foothills as Bronze Age crossroads of peoples and cultures

AI Summary

New research analyzing ancient DNA from Bakr Awa in Iraqi Kurdistan reveals the Zagros foothills as a significant Bronze Age crossroads for people, cultures, and languages. The study offers insights into genetic changes accompanying cultural exchanges in the region.

TEHRAN - The Zagros mountain range and its foothills have long served as a crossroads for the movement of peoples, cultures, and languages. A question that has occupied scholars for decades is whether these cultural influences and population movements were accompanied by significant genetic changes. New research published in Genome Biology, which analyzed the ancient DNA of 17 individuals from the archaeological site of Bakr Awa in Iraqi Kurdistan, located in the western foothills of the Zagros, offers important insights into this question.