Modelling the relationship between modern Southern Italian and ancient Eurasians We evaluated the genetic variation in Southern Italy with respect to ancient groups assembling a dataset composed of 138 ancient Eurasian individuals dating between the Palaeolithic and the Iron Age. Ancient genetic profiles were preliminarily investigated through PCA by projecting ancient genotypes onto the first two eigenvectors inferred on modern individuals (Fig. S5). Hunter Gatherers individuals from West (WHG) and East (EHG) Europe cluster on the right side of the PCA delineating a West to East cline along the second PC. Most of the individuals enriched in “Neolithic ancestry” are placed close to the genetic variability of present-day Sardinians. This group of samples also includes more recent individuals (from Late Neolithic to Copper Age) who in turn are scattered close to present-day inhabitants of the island (Fig. S5A). Interestingly, the only Greek Neolithic individual is close to Sardinians and European Early Neolithic samples and is part of a tight cluster that includes Anatolians and two Peloponnesians, from the Neolithic Age. On the other hand, three out of the five Neolithic Peloponnesians, together with the totality of Minoans and Mycenaeans included in our dataset plot towards the genetic variability of people currently inhabiting Southern Peloponnese (Maniots and Tsakonians) and Southern Italian regions (Sicily, Calabria and Apulia) (Fig. S5B). Modern Southern Italians are closer to Southern European Neolithic and Bronze Age samples (Neolithic Peloponnesians and Minoans) than most modern Peloponnesian groups, with the exception of the Deep Mani and Taygetos individuals (Fig. S5B). The affinity between Southern Italians and ancient samples was also investigated by the f-statistics. First, we tested the affinity symmetry of Northern Italians and other Italian groups (OIGs) with respect to Anatolia Neolithic (AN) samples (OIGs). All the f4 (Mbuti, AN, OIG, Lombardy) show a significantly higher affinity between Lombardy and AN, with the only exception of Sardinia (Table 1). This pattern is also evident when Bronze Age Greeks (Table 1) or ancient Steppe groups (Table S3) are used in place of AN. These observations suggest that populations from Central and Southern Italy had a lower contribution from AN than Lombardy, or alternatively, that Central and Southern Italians received contributions from other different groups, possibly associated with present-day Middle Eastern or African regions (19,40,41). However, when the affinity of Italian groups with African and Middle Eastern populations was tested, Southern Italians resulted not significantly closer to any of the two (Table S4). Except for East Sicily and Calabria, no significant results were detected for the combination f4 (Mbuti, Steppe, OIG, DeepMani), confirming a similar genetic composition for Maniots and Southern Italian groups. In contrast, replacing Deep Mani with other groups from different Peloponnesian areas resulted in the latter showing a higher affinity to Steppe ancestry than present-day Southern Italians (Table S3)
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...072v1.full.pdf