Ancient DNA sheds light on the genetic origins of early Iron Age Philistines

The ancient Mediterranean port city of Ashkelon, identified as “ Philistine” during the Iron Age, underwent a marked cultural changebetween the Late Bronzeand the early Iron Age. It has been long debated whether this change was driven by a substantial movement of people, possibly linked to a larger migration of the so-called “ Sea Peoples.” Here, we report genome-wide data of 10 Bronzeand Iron Ageindividuals from Ashkelon. We find that the early Iron Agepopulation was genetically distinct due to a European-related admixture. This genetic signal is no longer detectible in the later Iron Agepopulation. Our results support that a migration event occurred during the Bronzeto Iron Agetransition in Ashkelon but did not leave a long-lasting genetic signature.