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The following excerpts from the Chiarelli book may prove helpful in understanding why there isn's as much internal structure in Sicily as one might expect:
"The population that lived outside direct Muslim authority was semi-independent, living under some Byzantine protection probably until 290/902, when the whole island seems to have placed under Palermo's control...This territory was basically restricted to the region of Val Demone/San Marco, especially in the mountainous areas of Etna and the Peloritani chain of mountains. These independent area remained small and few in number, but by the Kalbid period they appear to be nonesixtent, since the whole island came under Palermo's control."
In the middle of the 4th/10th century, the Fatimids took control of the island. Whereas the Aghlabids kept many concquereed cities paying tribute, the Fatimids appear to have placed all newly conquered Byzantine territory under their direct control...Along with their policy of subjugating the whole island, the Fatimids pursued a policy of expanding Muslim colonization by relocating people from one region to another. Thus all the newly subjugated towns and cities in the predominant Christian areas of the northeast, especially the Val Demone/San Marco, had a Muslim population settled with them. The indigenous inhabitants would sometimes flee, leaving the jund free to acquire the abandoned lands, such as in the case of Taormina in 351/962, when many of the populace were reduced to slavery...The government then relocated Muslims from the other parts of the island and settled them in Taormina. (pages 162-163)
"In the interior of the island there were many settlements made up of what the Sicilian scholar Carmelo Trasselli cals eagle nest communities. These were composed of castles and groups of homes barely accessible by only one road or by donkey path between two rocky mountains separated by steep valleys. These hilltop communities were reoccupied during the Arab period after their their apparent abandonment during late Roman times. It is possible that these sites were settled by Berbers from the regions of North Africa where such hilltop settlements were common and preferred. It appears that the interior was composed of less numerous communities than today... (page 161)
I'm sorry but something HAS to explain the 30% R1b on Sicily. I mean it's not like I1 across Italy here 3-5%; it's 30% of the islands males! it would be nice to have at in-depth R1b clade analysis.
I see no precise, direct link between Italians and Jews other than maybe a slightly more similar genetic pattern than most European nations have. According to the G2a, E-V13 and J2a lineages; I would look towards Crete, turkey and the Balkans (Greece,Albania) for the origin of Italy's Neolithic lineages. Even the Caucasus (Georgia) in G2a's case. When looking for the origin of Italy's west-European blood, according to the high R1b frequency and it's subclade distribution I would look towards the northwest; Switzerland and France.
I agree with that seems southern Italians and Cretans cluster more with anatolians than mainland Greeks.
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