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Are there Hebrews left?
Author(s) -
Bonne Batsheva
Publication year - 1966
Publication title -
american journal of physical anthropology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1096-8644
pISSN - 0002-9483
DOI - 10.1002/ajpa.1330240202
Subject(s) - hebrews , middle east , judaism , history , genealogy , ancient history , demography , archaeology , sociology
The Samaritan sect in the Middle East traces its ancestry over a period of more than 2,000 years from the Biblical Samaritans. The Samaritans are the guardians of a unique and very ancient religious literature which together with other historical accounts makes their claim of such a length of existence probable. Comparison of blood group frequencies as well as other genetic markers (such as PTC sensitivity, color blindness and G6PD deficiency) indicate that the Samaritans are unlike any of the existing surrounding groups whom they might be expected to resemble. From comparison of anthropometric data the Samaritans appear to exhibit their own “typical” features which do not resemble those of any other Jewish or non‐Jewish community in the Middle East. These differences support the contention that the Samaritans' separation and isolation from the communities is not a recent event. The possibility that the Samaritans today can be regarded as modern representatives of the ancient Hebrews and the living offspring of a particular branch of the Israelite kingdom is discussed.