In a documentary aired on Spain's RTVE on October 12, forensic expert Miguel Lorente, head of the research team, said he used DNA analysis to determine the origins of explorer Christopher Columbus. Through analyzing samples from remains buried in the Seville Cathedral in Spain, considered to be Columbus' final resting place.
Tomb of explorer Christopher Columbus at Seville Cathedral, Spain on October 11
Accordingly, scientists used DNA analysis technology and compared it with Columbus' relatives, thereby determining that he was a Sephardic Jew (Jews who once lived in the Iberian Peninsula, including present-day Spain and Portugal).
Columbus' origins and resting place have long been the subject of debate. Many historians theorize that he came from Genoa, Italy, but others have suggested he was a Spanish Jew, Greek or Portuguese. Lorente said that after analyzing 25 sites, it was possible to determine that Columbus was born in Western Europe.
About 300,000 Jews lived in Spain in the late 15th century, before two Catholic monarchs, Queen Isabella I of Castille and King Ferdinand II of Aragon (two regions of present-day Spain) ordered Jews and Muslims to convert to Catholicism or be expelled, according to Reuters.
The documentary about the origins of the famous explorer was broadcast as Spain celebrated the national holiday of October 12 and paid tribute to the discovery of the New World (America) by explorer Columbus in 1492. On October 10, Mr. Lorente confirmed previous hypotheses that Mr. Columbus' body rests in the city of Seville.
Studies to determine Columbus' nationality have been challenging due to the large amount of data, but Mr Lorente said the latest results were "almost completely reliable".
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/giai-ma-bi-an-ve-xuat-than-cua-nha-tham-hiem-christopher-columbus-185241013161213222.htm
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