What is the DNA of the Cypriots?

Related posts to read (click to open):

1. Attempting to improve the qpAdm models from the new study: A genetic history of the Balkans from Roman frontier to Slavic migrations
2. Did ancient Greeks leave a genetic impact on West Anatolia? qpAdm and G25 analysis
3. Modeling the Neolithic ancestry of Modern and Ancient Europeans/West Asians using qpAdm, including ancient Greeks/Mycenaeans, Minoans, Hittites, Phoenicians, Yamnaya
4. Modelling the Roman era sample from Marathon Greece on qpAdm and G25
5. What is the DNA of the Cypriots?
6. Ancient Greek skulls from Athens compared to modern populations

Click here to read more about the DNA of Greeks and Italians-> Ancient Greek ancestry in Greeks and Italians through G25 and qpAdm Analysis

This will be expanded and updated in the future

We lack extensive ancient DNA samples from Cyprus, except for low-coverage Neolithic and Chalcolithic data, which may not be relevant for this so Cypriots are comparing to ancient DNA samples from surrounding areas, Greece, Anatolia, Levant. Cypriots share genetic similarities with Roman-era Southern Greeks and West Anatolians, with an additional 25% Levantine admixture. The Anatolian like component in Cypriots aligns more with the Roman-era Aegean population from Southern Greece and West Anatolia than native iron age Central Anatolians, while modern Greek Central Anatolians primarily exhibit the Iron Age Central Anatolian type ancestry.

The overall Bronze age Mycenaean admixture in Cyprus approximates 25%, which aligns with the levels observed in Crete and the Dodecanese. In contrast, mainland Greek Mycenaean admixture may be slightly lower at around 20% due to the Slavic and Thraco-Roman migrations diluting Mycenaean admixture. The total Roman era (1-200AD) Greek ancestry in Cypriots is around 65% to 90% depending on if Roman era Cypriots had the same amount of excess Levantine as modern Cypriots or asRoman-era Southern Greeks but we are assuming that Cyprus already had excess Levantine since then due to geographic proximity.

Modern Cypriot Greeks exhibit a stronger genetic similarity to Roman-era Southern Greeks than to modern Southern Greeks, primarily due to the Slavic and West Balkan admixture in modern mainland Greek populations. Cypriots are more similar genetically to Roman-era Southern Greeks and Dodecanese than to any other population today. After Roman-era Greeks and modern Aegean Greek islanders, Cypriots are also similar genetically to the Lebanese and Calabrians. Cypriots fall in the middle of the genetic spectrum/cline between the Calabrians and Lebanese.

While Southern Greeks today have approximately 25% Slavic admixture, Cypriots possess around 25% Levantine admixture. It’s worth noting that Roman-era Southern Greeks shared a more significant genetic similarity with Levantines than with Slavs which is why modern Cypriots are still so similar to Roman-era Southern Greeks. Additionally, the modern Southern Greeks have Illyrian and Thracian admixture, possibly resulting from Thraco-Roman migrations during the late medieval and Ottoman periods. Roman-era Northern Greeks probably already had some Illyrian and Thracian admixture but there aren’t any public DNA samples from post Bronze age Northern Greece yet.

Nevertheless, the remaining admixture in all modern Greeks continues to exhibit similarities to that of their ancient Greek counterparts, owing to historical mixing with genetically similar neighboring populations. While we lack confirmed Dorian samples, it’s reasonable to assume their genetic similarity to Illyrians due to their geographical proximity. Additionally, Thracians and ancient Anatolian DNA samples exhibit significant genetic resemblance to Mycenaean DNA samples.

G25 admixture chart comparing them to Roman era Greeks and Levantines:

Model without Armenian proxy because it seems to overfit on Dodecanese.

Source populations:

Greek: https://pastebin.com/XTFLtkjm

Balkan Thraco-Roman (Early Vlach and Early Albanian) vs Eastern Roman Aegean model:

Samples used: https://pastebin.com/eaLC1kED

Genetically most similar modern populations genetically to Cypriots (G25 distance):

Including some ancient populations for more context:because medieval mainland Greeks mixed with Slavs, the West Anatolian Greeks received less Slavic admix

How did Slav DNA enter Cyprus?

Cypriots have about 2-3% Slavic autosomal DNA and 2-3% Slavic Y-DNA [1]. But where did this Slavic admixure come from? Historically, the Venetians resettled Cretans in Cyprus to help repopulate the island [2]. Cretans themselves have 15% Slavic ancestry. When we use G25 to model Cypriots’ autosomal DNA, it suggests that the source of their Slavic admixure is more likely to be from Cretan Greeks rather than mainland Greeks. It is estimated that Cypriots have around 23% Cretan like admixture. Before the year 1000 AD, mainland Greeks likely had a genetic profile similar to that of Cretans, prior to additional admixture with Albanians, Vlachs, and increased Slavic admixture. So, some of that Cretan-like admixture in Cypriots might also include admixture from pre-1000 AD mainland Greeks. According to a Y-DNA study [1], Cypriot Greeks do not show Y-DNA geneflow from mainland Greece post the year 1000 AD [1].

G25 model:

This is what the study says about the Cretan migrants: Cypriot Population under Venetian Rule (1473-1571). A Demographic Study

“Under the rule of the Republic, Cyprus became a place of exile for criminalswho were banished from Venice and her other colonies. There were not onlyindividual banishments. The Venetian authorities sent 270 brigands from thearea of Canea in Crete and distributed them among various Cypriot villages in These measures were combined with the efforts to repopulate theisland, Some of the convicts were accompanied by their families and even enjoyed the same advantages granted to other settlers.JI Venetian magistrates inCyprus were generally forbidden to banish Cypriots out of the colony rivate initiative combined with Venetian policy also contributed to the repopulation of the island. The Republic approved requests by Cypriot noblemento receive in lease uncultivated lands in order to settle foreign peasants on them.JJ The village of Mnasi (in the district of Morphou), which was in a state of decayat the end of the fifteenth century, was leased in 1493 to an official of the Cypriotchancery, who offered to settle foreign peasants there.34 The Cypriot nobleman Hector Tripoli requested in 1513 to receive in lease uncultivated lands in theMesaoria in 01der to build a small village, to be populated by foreign peasants.” Although our sources do not explicitly declare that these “foreigners” were actually to be. brought from ,abroad, it seems quite evident in view of the scarcity ofpeasants Ill Cyprus durmg those years and Venice’s deliberate policy to bringnew settlers to the island.”

Neolithic admix of Roman era Greeks

This is a G25 neolithic chart so keep in mind its not as accurate as qpAdm when it comes to neolithic modelling. I will remake this chart with qpAdm.

 

Cypriot Greek phenotypes + folk music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fiu3i_Hln-I

References:

1. Y-chromosomal analysis of Greek Cypriots reveals a primarily common pre-Ottoman paternal ancestry with Turkish Cypriots
2. Cypriot Population under Venetian Rule (1473-1571). A Demographic Study