I once thought that Venetian rule of Crete for almost 500 years and Venetian and Genoese presence in many places in Greece, the greater Aegean, and even the Levant during the Medieval period might have provided one source for the "Italian" percentages that used to (I don't know if they still do) show up in some Greeks at 23andme. That may be less true for Genoa's settlements than for those of Venice, as Genoa's footprint was more like that of the European powers in China than like that of the English in Ireland, for example.
Speaking of that, I came across an entire English language book devoted to the period of Venetian rule in Crete. I am going to see if I can get it from my library. I'll also look out for some Italian language treatments. Anyway, the point is that in the online introduction from the book, the author makes some very interesting points about the nature of Venetian rule, and for those with an interest in Ireland there's also some nice material about English control of Ireland and the development of the rule of the Anglo-Irish.
See here:
https://books.google.com/books?id=N...AS8voHgCw&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
The Kingdom of Candia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Candia
Somewhere, to the best of my recollection, I have read that the Venetians seem to have been around 10,000 in number, an aristocracy and military class, but I can't find the paper right now. I will try to track it down. The book cited above does indicate what I had read before that for quite some time inter-marriage was forbidden. However, the "Italian" or "Latin" and the "Greek" aristocracies seem to have merged after a while, but nothing is mentioned about mass migration and intermarriage with the other classes. I'll have to wait until I read the book cited above for the details.
I don't know where this idea came from that the Venetians all settled in the Lasithi Plateau, or had palaces there or whatever, where most of the U-152 was found. Does anyone have a source for that? The Venetians didn't want anything to do with it.
"The fertile soil of the plateau, due to
alluvial run-off from melting snow, has attracted inhabitants since
Neolithic times (6000
BC).
[3] Minoans and
Dorians followed and the plateau has been continuously inhabited since then, except a period that started in 1293 and lasted for over two centuries during the
Venetian occupation of Crete. During that time and due to frequent
rebellions and strong resistance, villages were demolished, cultivation prohibited, and natives were forced to leave and forbidden to return under a penalty of death. A Venetian manuscript of the thirteenth century describes the troublesome plateau of Lasithi as
spina nel cuore (di Venezia) - a thorn in the heart of Venice. Later, in the early 15th century, Venetian rulers allowed refugees from the Greek mainland (eastern
Peloponnese) to settle in the plain and cultivate the land again. To ensure good crops, Venetians designed a large system of drainage
ditches (linies,
Greek: λίνιες) that were constructed between 1514 - 1560 and are still in use. The ditches transfer the water to Honos (
Greek: Χώνος), a
sinkhole in the west edge of the plateau, that feeds the river Aposelemis.
During the
Greek War of Independence in January 1823, Hassan
Pasha led an army of
Ottoman and Egyptian forces sent by
Muhammad Ali that seized the plateau killing most residents who had not fled to the mountains. In May 1867 during the great
Cretan revolt, Ottoman and Egyptian forces under the command of Pashas
Omar and
Ismail Selim marched towards the Lasithi plateau. Their aim was to strike a decisive blow on the revolutionaries who used it as their hideout. After fierce fighting, the outnumbered rebels were defeated and forced to retreat to the slopes of
Dikti. Between 21 and 29 of May, many village dwellers were slaughtered or taken slaves, their homes were set ablaze after being looted and livestock and crops were destroyed.
[4] The monastery of Kroustalenia that was the seat of the revolutionary committee was also demolished.
During the
Axis occupation of Greece in 1941–1944, the peaks surrounding the plateau were used as hideouts by local
resistance fighters."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lasithi_Plateau
The only other thing I could find is that there was for centuries a Venetian military installation not too far from Lasithi.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinalonga
Given that the area was depopulated of most of its inhabitants twice, I don't know what we can deduce other than the fact that there was a founder effect of some kind. I'm not leaning in one direction more than another. This looks like another situation where the answer is going to have to wait for more detailed subclade resolution and aDna. Bottom line, I don't think an Italic speaking Sea Peoples source can be ruled out, which would have implications for other areas in Greece, Anatolia, and the Near East.
SPECULATION ALERT: Dare I hint that perhaps it might account, via the "Philistines" in the Levant, for that "Italian", or perhaps more precisely some of that "European" component in Jews?
If I have time, I want to take a look at the yDna pattern in Crete. If the Venetians had a significant impact on Cretan genetics, then shouldn't we see some of the U-106 and I1 that the Venetians received by way of the Lombard invasions? If anyone has some sources, that would be great.
