With what ancient ethnicity do you most identify, and what has DNA told you ?

I haven't had a DNA test yet, but even though all four grandparents came from southern Italy and Sicily, based on some limited and circumstantial evidence, I think we are actually northern European, possibly Norse/Norman. I've begun to identify as such. Hence even using an Old Norse male name as my internet handle.
 
No clue. As an Ashkenazi Jew I suppose it should be Israelite? But I don't know.
 
From all the ancient cultures I mostly identify with the ancient Greeks, mainly because:

- I was born, raised and currently live 1Km away from the Acropolis :)
- My native language is Greek which is derived from Koine Greek, so when I look at the original ancient Greek text I immediately recognize 90% of the words, even if the grammar and systax has changed, making it difficult to interpret it 100% accurately.
- We spend years at school reading Homer, ancient Greek history, etc.
- Part of the ancient Greek religion survives in modern Greek folklore and superstitions (especially in rural Greece).
- For a reason I cannot fully understand, looking at works of art from that era gives me a sense of warmth.

From all the different eras of ancient Greece, I am particularly fascinated by the Mycenean civilisation.
From other cultures, I am interested in the Etruscans, Assyrians, Egyptians, Celts, early Germanic Tribes, Chinese, Native Americans. I also feel total awe whenever I see the cave artwork created by paleolithic humans from anywhere in the world..

All this is irrelevant to my DNA. I am R1b-CTS7822 which could have come to Greece througn various routes, old and new, and my distant ancestors could be Maori for all I care..
 
Celts I suppose.
 
Who do you identify as your ancestors?

Interesting question. I am, for the record, essentially half British/Scottish [some Irish] and half French/German. One side has Italian/Sicilian ancestry and the other Ashkenazi ancestry.

Now you’d certainly think I’d relate to Celts, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, etc. But I have only had a passing interest in these cultures. Thinking about it I don’t think there was even any serious interest in these cultures, beyond whatever may have been taught in school, when I was a child.

Rather my interest has always been Gallo-Roman and Greco-Roman. Why? The French ancestry is widely in regions that were once inhabited by Gauls and Romans [and the passing Celt] rather than others initially. Basque influence would include Turdetani who were considered quite Greco-Roman by the Greco-Romans/Romans themselves. Southern Italy & Sicily have had more influence from the Greeks than they have had from other ancient civilizations.

Besides, there is the rather simple fact such ancient cultures are interesting. Sure all ancient civilizations are. Indian & Japanese/Chinese civilizations have always caught my fancy but the question is who are our ancestors not who we find interesting. But unlike with the Celts, Vikings, etc. with them invoking a passing interest I still happen to read Homer & others despite the fact I have long since ceased needing to do so for a school project.


From a DNA perspective? Via my brothers/father testing the Y-DNA haplogroup has a more Gaul/Roman [Iberian-Italo] lean than anything Celtic or Germanic. My mtDNA being Jewish is hardly surprising. Some of my closest friends happen to be Jewish for a reason [as said Ashkenazi ancestry].
 
Who do you identify as your ancestors?


Interesting question. I am, for the record, essentially half British/Scottish [some Irish] and half French/German. One side has Italian/Sicilian ancestry and the other Ashkenazi ancestry.


Now you’d certainly think I’d relate to Celts, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, etc. But I have only had a passing interest in these cultures. Thinking about it I don’t think there was even any serious interest in these cultures, beyond whatever may have been taught in school, when I was a child.


Rather my interest has always been Gallo-Roman and Greco-Roman. Why? The French ancestry is widely in regions that were once inhabited by Gauls and Romans [and the passing Celt] rather than others initially. Basque influence would include Turdetani who were considered quite Greco-Roman by the Greco-Romans/Romans themselves. Southern Italy & Sicily have had more influence from the Greeks than they have had from other ancient civilizations.


Besides there is the rather simple fact such ancient cultures are interesting. Sure all ancient civilizations are. Indian & Japanese/Chinese civilizations have always caught my fancy but the question is who are our ancestors not who we find interesting. But unlike with the Celts, Vikings, etc. with them invoking a passing interest I still happen to read Homer & others despite the fact I have long since ceased needing to do so for a school project.




From a DNA perspective? Via my brothers/father testing the Y-DNA haplogroup has a more Gaul/Roman [Iberian-Italo] lean than anything Celtic or Germanic. My mtDNA being Jewish is hardly surprising. Some of my closest friends happen to be Jewish for a reason [as said Ashkenazi ancestry].
 
Being Ashkenazi, the ancient Hebrews should be the answer. And to a high extent they are whom I identify with. But even the Torah states Abraham being Sumerian, so I am using this as the excuse why ancient Sumerians, Mesopotamians fascinate me and I definitely identify with them probably the most. Also the Basques and potentially Etruscans and Silensians. Two of my grandmothers are from Silesia. And ever since I have first met people from there and then went there, I had this strange feeling of belonging. So I know there is a significant common ancestry somewhere.
 
Difficult topic. As an Hungarian there is or was newer one ethnic group that defined the country's identity.I think that is the case for most of the countries in Europe, especially countries with alot of neighbors. Hungary consisted of many tribes (nomads) when settling in today's Hungary and Hungarians are fully aware of that. Some even claim that they settled in Ukraine, not Asia. The problem often arises when theorists engrave "slavic dna" and."italo celtic dna" in the haplogroups. People with similar dna can have very different cultures. The protein coding of the dna points to what region people lived and what they eat in their area (wich was similar) Not what culture they lived. There is much more research to be done in this area. But dna research can still be an interesting tool for further research

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Gauls. DNA has confirmed I am far more Gaulish than Germanic or Roman.
 
A 100% Indoeuropean here. :)

I guess you've never looked at any Admixture analyses. But hey, why bother with science when we can just all rely on our favorite fairy stories.
 
I identify most with countries from the Ottoman Empire so Turkey and the Balkans.
 
In Europe the Balkans, including Hungary and parts of today's Slovakia. Some for a longer timeframe.

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I suppose I'd identify in this order and priority:

An American
A Southerner
Part of the "colonial" group, the frontier folks who forged this country - "broadly British"
Anglo-Saxon / Celtic
European
 
Western European, vaguely and in general -- therefore, among ancient peoples, I identify most with the Romans (even though they probably conquered my ancestors)
 
I guess you've never looked at any Admixture analyses.

During thousands of years noone hear about such thing => all history of the world is a fairy tale. Very inteligently.

Btw, since when race (I understand even mix-race) = ethnicity, tribness or whatever? :petrified:

Are you a racist? :petrified:
 
When discussing Ethnicity, It may be best to put Aside your Racial Sensitivity.

Heavy Italian DNA Ancestry, so I'm assuming "Ancient Roman".
 
My DNA results are telling me the same thing as the history books about Bulgaria - a combination between Southern ethnicity (Balkan Neolithic/Thraco-Illyrian/Vlach) and a Northeastern one (mainly Slavic) - some other admixtures should be in the mix but can't see them in the results. FTDNA are giving me some Celto-Germanic element but they aren't very reliable, so I'm not putting too much attention to that. I think there are more mixtures than the DNA tests could detect, hope in the future these tests will be improved. I know a friend who has some minor mongoloid features (plus other people in his family) but his results can't detect anything Asian about him.
 
Heavy Italian DNA Ancestry, so I'm assuming "Ancient Roman".

Likewise, considering the large Italian/Southern European component in my autosomal DNA.

here's the description from the NG test:

Italy & Southern Europe


The Iceman, Otzi, is a descendant from the first farmers to have arrived in the Italian peninsula, which may have harbored remnant hunter-gatherer populations during the Pleistocene who resettled Northern Europe with the glacier retreats. Today, this ancestry is a mixture of the earlier farmers arriving from the Middle East as well as migrants pushing south from Northern Europe, whose own ancestry threads back to Central Europe and beyond. Strong connections exist east to the Balkans and Southeastern Europe, making this portion of your DNA trans-Adriatic, and even trans-Mediterranean, one that reflects trade and political connections. Elements of this ancestry can be also found in Northern and Eastern Europe, and also south, across the Mediterranean to Libya and other regions of northern Africa, genetic remnants from when the Roman empire expanded its horizons south.

Edit:

I guess it would have to be after the Social War though, when citizenship was afforded to some of the other various tribes of Italy.

HjQIF89l.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_War_(91–88_BC)
 
I identify with Hunter Gatherers because I love nature in its pure and untouched self. Besides, I was very very good at fishing and being patient and quiet and sitting in ambush when I was little.
I never done a DNA test, but most likely it cannot tell me much as I will be like other Lithuanians.
 

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