ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Genetic history of the Iberian Peninsula

Okay kiddo, let me help you understand the genetic history of the Iberian Peninsula in very simple words. The Iberian Peninsula is the landmass where countries like Spain and Portugal are located. People have been living in this place for thousands of years.

Now, imagine a big puzzle with different pieces that represent the different people who have lived in the Iberian Peninsula throughout history. These pieces are made up of something called DNA which is like a code that contains information about what makes you unique, like the color of your eyes or the shape of your nose.

Scientists have been studying this puzzle and found out that the first humans who lived in the Iberian Peninsula were hunters and gatherers. They were the ones who left behind drawings in caves that we see now.

After some time, other groups of people arrived, like the Celts, who came from central Europe. They brought with them new languages and ways of living. Then came the Romans, who ruled the Iberian Peninsula for many years and left their own mark on the puzzle.

Later on, there were many other groups that came and went, like the Visigoths and the Moors. They all had their own culture and DNA puzzle pieces.

So, when we look at the genetic history of the Iberian Peninsula, we can see how all these different pieces fit together to make up the puzzle of the people who have lived there. The genetic makeup of the people today is a mix of all these different groups that came before us.

It's like a big family tree with branches going back thousands of years. And each branch represents a different group of people who lived in the same place. That's the genetic history of the Iberian Peninsula, in a nutshell.