This article has just been published 10 days ago :
Nature : Differential Greek and northern African migrations to Sicily are supported by genetic evidence from the Y chromosome
The study shows great heterogeneity between the various regions of Sicily. The table of frequencies of the Y-DNA in each region is particularly interesting.
In short, the author estimates that 37% of the male lineages in Sicily are of Greek origins (notably the haplogroups E3b1 and J2), and 6% of Arabic/North African origins (J1).
At least 7%, but more probably over 10%, could be of Norman origins. The highest frequencies of the typically Nordic haplogroup I1 were observed around Caccamo, near Palermo, representing almost one third of the samples.
The southern town of Ragusa had, unsurprisingly, the highest percentage of the Arabic haplogroup J1 (10%).
A bit over 5% of the people tested in Mazara del Vallo, a town founded by the Phoenicians in south-west Sicily, belonged to haplogroup L. This haplogroup is found in India and the Arabic peninsula. It was not found anywhere in Sicily. It is probably brought by the Phoenicians. Mazara del Vallo is unlikely to have been settled by the Arabs as J1 was absent from the samples.
Another surprising haplogroup found almost only in Mazara del Vallo (16.6% of the samples) is Q, which is normally found in Siberia or Central Asia.
The highest presence of the "native" Western European R1b1c (Celtic or Italic) was observed in Trapani (45%) and in Santa Ninfa (35%), both at the western tip of the island. R1b1c was only between 10% and 15% in places like Troina, Caccamo, Piazza Armerina and Mazara del Vallo.
Greek haplogroups were more frequent in the eastern part of the island.
Nature : Differential Greek and northern African migrations to Sicily are supported by genetic evidence from the Y chromosome
The study shows great heterogeneity between the various regions of Sicily. The table of frequencies of the Y-DNA in each region is particularly interesting.
In short, the author estimates that 37% of the male lineages in Sicily are of Greek origins (notably the haplogroups E3b1 and J2), and 6% of Arabic/North African origins (J1).
At least 7%, but more probably over 10%, could be of Norman origins. The highest frequencies of the typically Nordic haplogroup I1 were observed around Caccamo, near Palermo, representing almost one third of the samples.
The southern town of Ragusa had, unsurprisingly, the highest percentage of the Arabic haplogroup J1 (10%).
A bit over 5% of the people tested in Mazara del Vallo, a town founded by the Phoenicians in south-west Sicily, belonged to haplogroup L. This haplogroup is found in India and the Arabic peninsula. It was not found anywhere in Sicily. It is probably brought by the Phoenicians. Mazara del Vallo is unlikely to have been settled by the Arabs as J1 was absent from the samples.
Another surprising haplogroup found almost only in Mazara del Vallo (16.6% of the samples) is Q, which is normally found in Siberia or Central Asia.
The highest presence of the "native" Western European R1b1c (Celtic or Italic) was observed in Trapani (45%) and in Santa Ninfa (35%), both at the western tip of the island. R1b1c was only between 10% and 15% in places like Troina, Caccamo, Piazza Armerina and Mazara del Vallo.
Greek haplogroups were more frequent in the eastern part of the island.