The coming of the Greeks to Provence and Corsica: Y-chromosome models of archaic Greek colonization of the western Mediterranean

The process of Greek colonization of the central and western Mediterranean during the Archaic and Classical Eras has been understudied from the perspective of population genetics. To investigate the Y chromosomal demography of Greek colonization in the western Mediterranean, Y-chromosome data consis...

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Published in:	BMC evolutionary biology Vol. 11; no. 1; p. 69
Main Authors:	King, Roy J, Di Cristofaro, Julie, Kouvatsi, Anastasia, Triantaphyllidis, Costas, Scheidel, Walter, Myres, Natalie M, Lin, Alice A, Eissautier, Alexandre, Mitchell, Michael, Binder, Didier, Semino, Ornella, Novelletto, Andrea, Underhill, Peter A, Chiaroni, Jacques
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England BioMed Central Ltd 14-03-2011 BioMed Central BMC
Subjects:	Analysis Chromosomes Chromosomes, Human, Y Chromosomes, Human, Y - genetics Emigration and immigration France Genealogy Genetic aspects Genetics Genetics, Population Greece Greeks Haplotypes Humans Life Sciences Male Mediterranean Region Phylogeny Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide Population genetics Populations and Evolution Sequence Analysis, DNA Social aspects Greece France Mediterranean Region
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Summary:	The process of Greek colonization of the central and western Mediterranean during the Archaic and Classical Eras has been understudied from the perspective of population genetics. To investigate the Y chromosomal demography of Greek colonization in the western Mediterranean, Y-chromosome data consisting of 29 YSNPs and 37 YSTRs were compared from 51 subjects from Provence, 58 subjects from Smyrna and 31 subjects whose paternal ancestry derives from Asia Minor Phokaia, the ancestral embarkation port to the 6th century BCE Greek colonies of Massalia (Marseilles) and Alalie (Aleria, Corsica). 19% of the Phokaian and 12% of the Smyrnian representatives were derived for haplogroup E-V13, characteristic of the Greek and Balkan mainland, while 4% of the Provencal, 4.6% of East Corsican and 1.6% of West Corsican samples were derived for E-V13. An admixture analysis estimated that 17% of the Y-chromosomes of Provence may be attributed to Greek colonization. Using the following putative Neolithic Anatolian lineages: J2a-DYS445 = 6, G2a-M406 and J2a1b1-M92, the data predict a 0% Neolithic contribution to Provence from Anatolia. Estimates of colonial Greek vs. indigenous Celto-Ligurian demography predict a maximum of a 10% Greek contribution, suggesting a Greek male elite-dominant input into the Iron Age Provence population. Given the origin of viniculture in Provence is ascribed to Massalia, these results suggest that E-V13 may trace the demographic and socio-cultural impact of Greek colonization in Mediterranean Europe, a contribution that appears to be considerably larger than that of a Neolithic pioneer colonization.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	1471-2148 1471-2148
DOI:	10.1186/1471-2148-11-69