The coming of the Greeks to Provence and Corsica: Y-chromosome models of archaic Greek colonization of the western Mediterranean

Abstract

BackgroundThe process of Greek colonization of the central and western Mediterranean during the Archaic and Classical Eras has been understudied from the perspective of population genetics. To investigate the Y chromosomal demography of Greek colonization in the western Mediterranean, Y-chromosome data consisting of 29 YSNPs and 37 YSTRs were compared from 51 subjects from Provence, 58 subjects from Smyrna and 31 subjects whose paternal ancestry derives from Asia Minor Phokaia, the ancestral embarkation port to the 6th century BCE Greek colonies of Massalia (Marseilles) and Alalie (Aleria, Corsica).Results19% of the Phokaian and 12% of the Smyrnian representatives were derived for haplogroup E-V13, characteristic of the Greek and Balkan mainland, while 4% of the Provencal, 4.6% of East Corsican and 1.6% of West Corsican samples were derived for E-V13. An admixture analysis estimated that 17% of the Y-chromosomes of Provence may be attributed to Greek colonization. Using the following putative Neolithic Anatolian lineages: J2a-DYS445 = 6, G2a-M406 and J2a1b1-M92, the data predict a 0% Neolithic contribution to Provence from Anatolia. Estimates of colonial Greek vs. indigenous Celto-Ligurian demography predict a maximum of a 10% Greek contribution, suggesting a Greek male elite-dominant input into the Iron Age Provence population.ConclusionsGiven the origin of viniculture in Provence is ascribed to Massalia, these results suggest that E-V13 may trace the demographic and socio-cultural impact of Greek colonization in Mediterranean Europe, a contribution that appears to be considerably larger than that of a Neolithic pioneer colonization.

Temporal differentiation across a West-European Y-chromosomal cline: genealogy as a tool in human population genetics

“…However, the differentiation faded over time and the north-south trend for sub-haplogroup R-U106 almost disappeared during the Industrial Revolution in the first half of the nineteenth century. On the basis of this temporal analysis, it is clear that categorizing donors into local sub-populations on the basis of at least two or three generations of residence (as commonly applied in human population genetic/genomic studies), 40,41 may not enable the identification of small-scale 'autochthonous' population structures in Western Europe. Our approach will be useful to prepare future studies comparing ancient and modern DNA variability in human populations.…”

The Greeks in the West: genetic signatures of the Hellenic colonisation in southern Italy and Sicily

“…[6][7][8] The pattern of genetic variation observed in Italian populations has been interpreted either as supporting a substantial Greek contribution to the current Sicilian and southern Italian gene pool, 9,10 or having being shaped by other demographic processes. [11][12][13] When the genetic impact of the Greek Colonisation (GC) has been specifically addressed 14,15 a lineage-based interpretative approach was used, relied on the frequency of the more frequent haplogroups (E-V13) or STR motifs (Balkan Modal Haplotype) in present-day Greeks. However, these approaches can be strongly misleading.…”

Genetics and the Archaeology of Ancient Israel

“…Ancient DNA may also be compared with modern DNA in order to better refine our understanding of the long-term histories of human groups and their interactions in the southern Levant. King et al (2011). Rhodes from King, unpublished data.…”

“…The divergence in frequency patterns between J2a and J1e mirrors the two autosomal components in Haber (2013) Western Anatolia (Battaglia et al 2008;Rootsi et al 2012). Both lineages track Greek colonization events from present day Marseilles/Provence (Greek colony of Massalia) to Greek colonies in Ukraine and Crimea (King et al 2011;Rootsi et al 2012 Aegean source populations and Levantine target populations, will be more reliably estimable than conventional dating from YSTRs.…”