Genetic history of Greece

 Genetic history of Greece

Yediay et al. 2024 published large number of ancient DNA from Bronze Age Greece which permitted to solve the question of Greeks origin. If we skip the unsampled Paleolithic period Greece has witnessed three important migrations in prehistoric times.

+ Neolithic farmers from Anatolia, ultimately from Urfa region moved to Greece around 7000 BC. Farming was introduced earlier in Greece than in any part of Europe. From there farmers moved to north.

+ Chalcolithic migrants from historic Armenia around 4000-3000 BC. This second migration was associated with Chaff faced ware in Anatolia. While in Greece it left the strongest impact in Crete and Aegean Cycladic islands. It can be connected to the formation of Minoan civilization. (Linear A) Even though Heggarty 2023 wanted to link it with Greeks.

This migration introduced new haplotypes and in most likelihood is partly responsible for the so called Mediterranean substrate present both in Greek and Armenian. An examlle is the iwl, el (իւղ, եղ) meaning oil in Armenian. Compare to Greek elaiwon (ἔλαιον) olive oil.

+ Migration from Pontic Caspian Steppe around 2200 BC. Similar to Armenia the change from Early Bronze Age to Middle Bronze Age is associated with migrations from Pontic Caspian steppe. Those migrants introduced haplotypes like R1b-Z2103 and R1b-PF7562. With few cases of I2 and J2b2a. Mycenaean Greeks also had large number of J2-Z6055 a lineage that was present in Greece since the Neolithic period. High level of that lineage are probably due to founder effect.

After a short MBA period there is a dilution of steppe ancestry in Late Bronze Age Greece (1700-1100BC). A period associated with Mycenaean culture. (See the chart) Linear B has been deciphered and linked to early or parallel extinct forms of Greek. Mycenaean Greeks had ancestry both from local Neolithic farmers and preceding migrants from more eastern regions. In the chart it's marked as Anatolia C. Which is related to the CFW from historic Armenia.

Yediay et al. 2024 linked the steppe migration with Indo Europeans from Yamnaya culture. Thus solving in convincing manner the origins of Greek people.

Around 1200 BC the Mycenaean civilization collapsed and many people were forced to emigrate. During this period number of groups moved to eastern Mediterranean where they were known as Sea people. One of those groups settled in Cyprus introducing Greek language there.

Even prior that Greeks were already settling in Western Anatolian coasts. In that region they are known probably as Ahhiyawa in Hittite texts. Multiple wars started for the control of western Anatolian coasts. The memory of those wars is preserved in the Greek epic poems known as Illiad and Odyssey.

Modern Greek is usually assumed to be derived from Attic-Ionic dialect