Greek colonisation of South Italy and Sicily (Magna Graecia) was a defining event in European cul... more Greek colonisation of South Italy and Sicily (Magna Graecia) was a defining event in European cultural history, although the demographic processes and genetic impacts involved have not been systematically investigated. Here, we combine high-resolution surveys of the variability at the uni-parentally inherited Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA in selected samples of putative source and recipient populations with forward-in-time simulations of alternative demographic models to detect signatures of that impact. Using a subset of haplotypes chosen to represent historical sources, we recover a clear signature of Greek ancestry in East Sicily compatible with the settlement from Euboea during the Archaic Period (eighth to fifth century BCE). We inferred moderate sex-bias in the numbers of individuals involved in the colonisation: a few thousand breeding men and a few hundred breeding women were the estimated number of migrants. Last, we demonstrate that studies aimed at quantifying Hellenic genetic flow by the proportion of specific lineages surviving in present-day populations may be misleading.European Journal of Human Genetics advance online publication, 15 July 2015; doi:10.1038/ejhg.2015.124.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Recently, the debate on the origins of the major European Y chromosome haplogroup R1b1b2-M269 has... more Recently, the debate on the origins of the major European Y chromosome haplogroup R1b1b2-M269 has reignited, and opinion has moved away from Palaeolithic origins to the notion of a younger Neolithic spread of these chromosomes from the Near East. Here, we address this debate by investigating frequency patterns and diversity in the largest collection of R1b1b2-M269 chromosomes yet assembled. Our analysis reveals no geographical trends in diversity, in contradiction to expectation under the Neolithic hypothesis, and suggests an alternative explanation for the apparent cline in diversity recently described. We further investigate the young, STR-based time to the most recent common ancestor estimates proposed so far for R-M269-related lineages and find evidence for an appreciable effect of microsatellite choice on age estimates. As a consequence, the existing data and tools are insufficient to make credible estimates for the age of this haplogroup, and conclusions about the timing of it...
The origin of the Etruscans (the present day Tuscany, Italy), one of the most enigmatic non-Indo-... more The origin of the Etruscans (the present day Tuscany, Italy), one of the most enigmatic non-Indo-European civilizations, is under intense controversy. We found novel genetic evidences on the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) establishing a genetic link between Anatolia and the ancient Etruria. By way of complete mtDNA genome sequencing of a novel autochthonous Tuscan branch of haplogroup U7 (namely U7a2a), we have estimated an historical time frame for the arrival of Anatolian lineages to Tuscany ranging from 1.1+/-0.1 to 2.3+/-0.4 kya B.P.
Forensic Science International Genetics Supplement Series
The genetic structure of Italy appears to be mainly shaped by pre-Roman historical events. The st... more The genetic structure of Italy appears to be mainly shaped by pre-Roman historical events. The studies carried out so far show a major North–South cline, possibly the result of two distinct main demic processes: the first colonisation of the area during the Palaeolithic period and the subsequent Neolithic expansion from the Middle East. However, the demographic contribution of these events is still a matter of debate. We here report mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data from nine population groups covering the main Italian regions: Central Liguria (N=50), East Friuli (N=51), South Latium (N=48), Central Marche (N=53), West Calabria (N=50), Central Campania (N=50), South Apulia (N=53), and two populations from Sicily (East and West Sicily, N=40 each). Haplogroup frequency spectra indicate clear differences at a regional level and haplotype sharing among populations is low.
A consensus on Bantu-speaking populations being genetically similar has emerged in the last few y... more A consensus on Bantu-speaking populations being genetically similar has emerged in the last few years, but the demographic scenarios associated with their dispersal are still a matter of debate. The frontier model proposed by archeologists postulates different degrees of interaction among incoming agropastoralist and resident foraging groups in the presence of "static" and "moving" frontiers. By combining mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosome data collected from several southern African populations, we show that Bantu-speaking populations from regions characterized by a moving frontier developing after a long-term static frontier have larger hunter-gatherer contributions than groups from areas where a static frontier was not followed by further spatial expansion. Differences in the female and male components suggest that the process of assimilation of the long-term resident groups into agropastoralist societies was gender biased. Our results show that the diffusion ...
Journal of anthropological sciences = Rivista di antropologia : JASS / Istituto italiano di antropologia, 2014
The animal and plant biodiversity of the Italian territory is known to be one of the richest in t... more The animal and plant biodiversity of the Italian territory is known to be one of the richest in the Mediterranean basin and Europe as a whole, but does the genetic diversity of extant human populations show a comparable pattern? According to a number of studies, the genetic structure of Italian populations retains the signatures of complex peopling processes which took place from the Paleolithic to modern era. Although the observed patterns highlight a remarkable degree of genetic heterogeneity, they do not, however, take into account an important source of variation. In fact, Italy is home to numerous ethnolinguistic minorities which have yet to be studied systematically. Due to their difference in geographical origin and demographic history, such groups not only signal the cultural and social diversity of our country, but they are also potential contributors to its bio-anthropological heterogeneity. To fill this gap, research groups from four Italian Universities (Bologna, Cagliar...
Greek colonisation of South Italy and Sicily (Magna Graecia) was a defining event in European cul... more Greek colonisation of South Italy and Sicily (Magna Graecia) was a defining event in European cultural history, although the demographic processes and genetic impacts involved have not been systematically investigated. Here, we combine high-resolution surveys of the variability at the uni-parentally inherited Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA in selected samples of putative source and recipient populations with forward-in-time simulations of alternative demographic models to detect signatures of that impact. Using a subset of haplotypes chosen to represent historical sources, we recover a clear signature of Greek ancestry in East Sicily compatible with the settlement from Euboea during the Archaic Period (eighth to fifth century BCE). We inferred moderate sex-bias in the numbers of individuals involved in the colonisation: a few thousand breeding men and a few hundred breeding women were the estimated number of migrants. Last, we demonstrate that studies aimed at quantifying Hellenic genetic flow by the proportion of specific lineages surviving in present-day populations may be misleading.European Journal of Human Genetics advance online publication, 15 July 2015; doi:10.1038/ejhg.2015.124.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Recently, the debate on the origins of the major European Y chromosome haplogroup R1b1b2-M269 has... more Recently, the debate on the origins of the major European Y chromosome haplogroup R1b1b2-M269 has reignited, and opinion has moved away from Palaeolithic origins to the notion of a younger Neolithic spread of these chromosomes from the Near East. Here, we address this debate by investigating frequency patterns and diversity in the largest collection of R1b1b2-M269 chromosomes yet assembled. Our analysis reveals no geographical trends in diversity, in contradiction to expectation under the Neolithic hypothesis, and suggests an alternative explanation for the apparent cline in diversity recently described. We further investigate the young, STR-based time to the most recent common ancestor estimates proposed so far for R-M269-related lineages and find evidence for an appreciable effect of microsatellite choice on age estimates. As a consequence, the existing data and tools are insufficient to make credible estimates for the age of this haplogroup, and conclusions about the timing of it...
The origin of the Etruscans (the present day Tuscany, Italy), one of the most enigmatic non-Indo-... more The origin of the Etruscans (the present day Tuscany, Italy), one of the most enigmatic non-Indo-European civilizations, is under intense controversy. We found novel genetic evidences on the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) establishing a genetic link between Anatolia and the ancient Etruria. By way of complete mtDNA genome sequencing of a novel autochthonous Tuscan branch of haplogroup U7 (namely U7a2a), we have estimated an historical time frame for the arrival of Anatolian lineages to Tuscany ranging from 1.1+/-0.1 to 2.3+/-0.4 kya B.P.
Forensic Science International Genetics Supplement Series
The genetic structure of Italy appears to be mainly shaped by pre-Roman historical events. The st... more The genetic structure of Italy appears to be mainly shaped by pre-Roman historical events. The studies carried out so far show a major North–South cline, possibly the result of two distinct main demic processes: the first colonisation of the area during the Palaeolithic period and the subsequent Neolithic expansion from the Middle East. However, the demographic contribution of these events is still a matter of debate. We here report mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data from nine population groups covering the main Italian regions: Central Liguria (N=50), East Friuli (N=51), South Latium (N=48), Central Marche (N=53), West Calabria (N=50), Central Campania (N=50), South Apulia (N=53), and two populations from Sicily (East and West Sicily, N=40 each). Haplogroup frequency spectra indicate clear differences at a regional level and haplotype sharing among populations is low.
A consensus on Bantu-speaking populations being genetically similar has emerged in the last few y... more A consensus on Bantu-speaking populations being genetically similar has emerged in the last few years, but the demographic scenarios associated with their dispersal are still a matter of debate. The frontier model proposed by archeologists postulates different degrees of interaction among incoming agropastoralist and resident foraging groups in the presence of "static" and "moving" frontiers. By combining mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosome data collected from several southern African populations, we show that Bantu-speaking populations from regions characterized by a moving frontier developing after a long-term static frontier have larger hunter-gatherer contributions than groups from areas where a static frontier was not followed by further spatial expansion. Differences in the female and male components suggest that the process of assimilation of the long-term resident groups into agropastoralist societies was gender biased. Our results show that the diffusion ...
Journal of anthropological sciences = Rivista di antropologia : JASS / Istituto italiano di antropologia, 2014
The animal and plant biodiversity of the Italian territory is known to be one of the richest in t... more The animal and plant biodiversity of the Italian territory is known to be one of the richest in the Mediterranean basin and Europe as a whole, but does the genetic diversity of extant human populations show a comparable pattern? According to a number of studies, the genetic structure of Italian populations retains the signatures of complex peopling processes which took place from the Paleolithic to modern era. Although the observed patterns highlight a remarkable degree of genetic heterogeneity, they do not, however, take into account an important source of variation. In fact, Italy is home to numerous ethnolinguistic minorities which have yet to be studied systematically. Due to their difference in geographical origin and demographic history, such groups not only signal the cultural and social diversity of our country, but they are also potential contributors to its bio-anthropological heterogeneity. To fill this gap, research groups from four Italian Universities (Bologna, Cagliar...
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