Genetic study finds ancient Greek DNA still present in populations of Sicily and Southern Italy

[rangerrebew]

Genetic study finds ancient Greek DNA still present in populations of Sicily and Southern Italy
7/24/2017 08:00:00 PM

No one questions the colonisation of Magna Graecia by the Greeks, the name given to the coastal areas of Southern Italy and Sicily, is proof of that.



It was in the 8th century BC that Ancient Greeks came decided to settle in the fertile lands of Magna Graecia, according to artefact and other archaeological finds.

New DNA research published in the European Journal of Human Genetics, has just confirmed there is a strong biological influence apart from the cultural.

Read more at https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2017/07/genetic-study-finds-ancient-greek-na_24.html#pQjYvATjPdtaO2mD.99

[endicom]

https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2017/07/genetic-study-finds-ancient-greek-dna_24.html

[EC]

Yep. Lot of the people down there look very Greek - body shapes just like the old statues from Athens. There's an entire Greek town been excavated at Monopoli - it's pretty neat to wander around both the site and the museum.

[SunkenCiv]

another nice find!

Ancient and recent admixture layers in Sicily and Southern Italy trace multiple migration routes along the Mediterranean
http://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-01802-4

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170517101205.htm

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinakillgrove/2015/07/23/dna-study-pinpoints-when-the-ancient-greeks-colonized-sicily-and-italy/

and from 2015:

The Greeks in the West: genetic signatures of the Hellenic colonisation in southern Italy and Sicily
http://www.nature.com/ejhg/journal/v24/n3/full/ejhg2015124a.html

[truth_seeker]

The small region, has fascinating migratory history. Besides the Greeks, the Normans took power and rules from the 11th to 19th centuries.

Kingdom of Sicily, Kingdom of Two Sicily's, etc. Both of my wife's parents, come from Bari, Puglia (Apulia)

[SunkenCiv]

[snip] Through the analysis of the variation of Y-chromosome lineages, using the combination of haplogroups and short tandem repeats from several areas of Sicily... genetic contribution of Greek chromosomes to the Sicilian gene pool is estimated to be about 37% whereas the contribution of North African populations is estimated to be around 6%. [/snip]

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/2008/08/ancient-greek-genetic-impact-on-sicilians/ 

Ancient Greek genetic impact on Sicilians?
Gene Expression | By Razib Khan | August 7, 2008 12:21 am