I was reading the fascinating research called "multiple origins of Ashkenazi levites". The interesting question is how did the R1a1 haplogroup get there?
1. The small genetic diversity points to one founder about 1000 yrs ago. This is a great historic case of genetic drift caused by a very small founder population. The diversity was much smaller than any specific european group.
2. Who was this guy? we will probably never know:
i.) It could be a european who somehow got levitic status(how?)
ii) It might be a sad case of rape in some progrom?
iii) The R1a1 haplogroup exists in small percentage in the middle east ( 5%-10% of Syrians and Bedouin). So it could be an original levite with R1a1 from the M.East amplified by genetic drift. There were probably very few levites in the founding community.
Interestingly, in the research sample, R1a1 was present in 1 Ashkenazi Cohen and 4 Sephardi cohens and 1 sephardi levite.
1. The small genetic diversity points to one founder about 1000 yrs ago. This is a great historic case of genetic drift caused by a very small founder population. The diversity was much smaller than any specific european group.
2. Who was this guy? we will probably never know:
i.) It could be a european who somehow got levitic status(how?)
ii) It might be a sad case of rape in some progrom?
iii) The R1a1 haplogroup exists in small percentage in the middle east ( 5%-10% of Syrians and Bedouin). So it could be an original levite with R1a1 from the M.East amplified by genetic drift. There were probably very few levites in the founding community.
Interestingly, in the research sample, R1a1 was present in 1 Ashkenazi Cohen and 4 Sephardi cohens and 1 sephardi levite.
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