37 mtDNA sequences from Minoan Crete

[Wilhelm]

R1b-U152 in Crete is only a portion of all the R1b. It could have been brought by the Venetians or the Romans. Anyway there is no reliable estimate of its percentage. It could be as low as 1% of the population.

Myres et al. 2010 finds 7.25% of U152 in Crete (sample of 193)

[Maciamo]

Myres et al. 2010 finds 7.25% of U152 in Crete (sample of 193)

Yes, all right. But Crete is very mountainous and has a lot of isolated communities. The data of Martinez et al 2007 clearly showed big variations between the various regions of the island. So it all depends how evenly spread are Myres et al.'s samples. I expect the Genoan and Venetian lineages to be confined to the port cities, not to the Lasithi Plateau where the Minoan samples come from.

[zanipolo]

Yes, all right. But Crete is very mountainous and has a lot of isolated communities. The data of Martinez et al 2007 clearly showed big variations between the various regions of the island. So it all depends how evenly spread are Myres et al.'s samples. I expect the Genoan and Venetian lineages to be confined to the port cities, not to the Lasithi Plateau where the Minoan samples come from.

wiki link on lasithi plateau and other links on the net all say the venetian vacated totally all the cretan people from this area for over 200 years ( penalty of death if caught ). So we can safely say this marker was not minoan or local

[Maciamo]

wiki link on lasithi plateau and other links on the net all say the venetian vacated totally all the cretan people from this area for over 200 years ( penalty of death if caught ). So we can safely say this marker was not minoan or local

I did not know that. However the plateau had to be repopulated later by people from elsewhere on the island, so it does not exclude the possibility that many Minoan lineages found their way back to this region.

[xiaodragon]

Most Cretans today are j2, some 37%, nearly 40% of them...this accounts for the original Minoan males and their dark haired locks, the Dorians (R1b Greeks, possibly some R1a or I2) came later and destroyed Minoan civilization. Maternally I am surprised as they seem to have been very typical European , as they are today all across Europe with mtdna H dominating in literally every part of Europe, these middle eastern men , many of them, may have bred with typical cro-magnid European women.

[xiaodragon]

wiki link on lasithi plateau and other links on the net all say the venetian vacated totally all the cretan people from this area for over 200 years ( penalty of death if caught ). So we can safely say this marker was not minoan or local