Uncovering the Ancestry of East Africa's Swahili People through DNA Analysis

A genetic analysis of ancient bones and teeth from six burial sites across coastal Kenya and Tanzania has confirmed the long-told origin story of the Swahili people, who believed that Persian traders sailed across the Indian Ocean, married local women and enmeshed themselves into East African society around 1,000 years ago. The study, published in the journal Nature, found that local African women began having children with Persian traders, and 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 the African-centric version of Swahili roots is more truthful than previously presumed.