Catania : Sicily (Italy)

Catania is located on the east coast of Sicily, at the foot of the Mount Etna.

• Sample :

Full size

• Analyzis :

- Lepto type : long face, big convex nose, frequent light eyes, variable complexion.

As opposed to Calabria on the other side of the strait, leptomorphic types are rather dominant, at least amongst males. Some people show strong East Mediterranean phenotypical tendencies which are probably to be linked with the fact Sicily is where the "non-European" genetic imput is at its best (by "European", I mean the Atlantic component, the aboriginal genetic variation of ancient hunter-gatherers).

On Dienekes' globe10 calculator, Sicilians score : 27.7% West Asian, 33% Southern, 37.6% Atlantic.

 

- Brachy type : puffy general features, large nose, narrow eyelids, dark hair.

Some individuals may appear somehow exotic within the European context though nothing dramatic as far as South Italy is concerned. Still I dare say the stronger Eastern genetic imput detected amongst Sicilians can be associated with phenotypical trends.

• Morphotypes :

 

Let's play with Dienekes' globe10 calculator (I)

The results are a bit old now (october 2012), still I find them interesting because of the introduction of ancient Europeans into the sample.

Ötzi

The spreadsheet is to be found here :

ADMIXTURE analysis of 'world' dataset

I remind you of my 'globe10' results :

- DOD133 :

#	Population	Percent
1	Atlantic_Baltic	76.20
2	Southern	20.77
3	West Asian	1.05

4

South Asian

0.89

Other results are probably statistical artefacts and should not be taken into account. Let's see some other populations' results.

1. Neolithic hunter-gatherers (Gotland - South Sweden)

See this article for more data on those ancient samples :

Ancient DNA from Neolithic Sweden (Skoglund et al. 2012)

- Ajv52 :

#	Population	Percent
1	Atlantic_Baltic	91.00
2	South Asian	5.06
3	Amerindian	1.90

4

Neo African

1.60

- Ajv70 :

#	Population	Percent
1	Atlantic_Baltic	92.60
2	Amerindian	3.70
3	Australasian	3.10

4

Palaeo African

0.50

Quite clearly, the modern component labelled as "Atlantic-Baltic" constituted most of the genetic variation of hunter-gatherers in Neolithic Gotland (Sweden).

Other components are quite exotic and might hint to an archaic variation that had not yet disappeared from Europe, either because of subsequent mixing or because it simply got to change. The algorithm might also just fail to successfully interpretate around 8% of those people's variation as it cannot be found in modern humans anymore.


2. Neolithic farmer (Götaland - South Sweden)


- Gok4 :

#	Population	Percent
1	Atlantic_Baltic	66.30
2	Southern	33.70
3	West Asian	0.00

4

South Asian

0.00

Those results are quite distinct from neighbouring hunter-gatherers from the island of Gotland : that Neolithic "Swedish" farmer shows results more on par with modern European variations. The Southern component has now appeared : it peaks amongst the Mozabite population in Algeria (around 50% of the genetic variation) and Palestinian people.

Undoubtedly enough, this component was brought by farmer migrants coming from the Middle-East who mixed with aboriginal hunter-gatherers. Those migrants probably had already mixed with aboriginal Europeans during their journey.

Let's simplify things : let's say our farmer is what resulted from the meeting of 1 migrant farmer male and 1 female hunter-gatherer akin to the ones in Gotland. The father was thus around 67,4% Southern (as opposed to the mother's 0,00%) : such result is not to be found amongst modern populations. No population is that high on Southern.

Mathematical models could be developed taking more generations into account but that would be highly hypothetical : actually, we don't know much of Neolithic demographics.

Another issue is that modern populations heavily loaded on "Southern" like Bedouin people also show strong "West Asian" affinities which are non-existent in Neolithic farmers. "West Asian" peaks amongst Balochi people. Did aboriginal Near-Easterners and Caucasian people subsequently mix with people from the Iranian plateau ?

The question remains : where is the source of that "Southern" component ? Quite probably somewhere in the Near-East but bearers of this variation are not to be found unaltered. Still, it is pretty obvious that the "Southern" component is to be linked with farming.


3. Swedish people


- Swedish_D : (14 people)

#	Population	Percent
1	Atlantic_Baltic	85.30
2	Southern	5.60
3	West Asian	5.10

4

South Asian

1.60

At first sight, it is obvious modern Swedish people are a mix of Neolithic Swedish farmers (provided the likes of Gok4 were stabilized) and the last Neolithic Swedish hunter-gatherers : the proportions could be guessed through statistical models (I'm too rusty to develop them : I haven't studied maths for 10 years ...).

The "West Asian" component was probably brought up by a subsequent migration. Modern-day Caucasian people are around 50% for that component : if we suppose they reached Sweden unaltered, which is probably wrong, that means they were outnumbered by a 1:10 ratio, more than one Caucasian great-grandparent for 7 autochtonous great-grandparents.

It may be hasty but I believe that the "West Asian" component is to be linked with the introduction of Indo-European languages in Europe.

NB : The "South Asian" in modern Europeans is ambiguous (both for Swedes and myself), I won't tackle that issue now.



4. Ötzi (Copper Age Alps)


- Oetzi :

#	Population	Percent
1	Atlantic_Baltic	49.80
2	Southern	42.20
3	West Asian	5.70

4

South Asian

0.90

Ötzi's remains were found in the Italian Alps, in modern-day German-speaking Tyrol. Pollen analyses have proved Ötzi was autochtonous to the area.

The Copper Age is transitional between Neolithic times and the Bronze Age when Indo-Europeans reached Europe. It looks like Ötzi had already suffered "West Asian" influence, circa 5.70%.

The Atlantic/Southern ratio is pretty balanced which can only mean people like Ötzi vastly descended from Neolithic farmers, as much as they descended from aboriginal Upper-Paleolithic people.



5. North Italian people 


- North_Italian : (11 people)

#	Population	Percent
1	Atlantic_Baltic	59.40
2	Southern	25.60
3	West Asian	14.90

4

South Asian

0.00

Considering modern-day South Tyrolians partly descend from German-speaking colonists who settled in the Alps from the 8th century onwards, I believe North Italians are more interesting to compare even though I lament the lack of more localized Italian samples.

The "West Asian" in modern-day North Italians is 3 times higher than it was in Ötzi which means North Italy suffered intense migrations in the Bronze Age. These migrations probably brought Indo-European languages.

The Atlantic/Southern ratio is now largely unbalanced : the only explaination is that newcomers in the Bronze Age were both high on the "Atlantic" component and the "West Asian" one, lower on "Southern" ratio wise. Celtic migrations from central Europe ? Unless Ötzi was not representative of the North Italians in those times.


6. Sardinian people 


- Sardinian : (25 people)

#	Population	Percent
1	Atlantic_Baltic	58.60
2	Southern	39.00
3	West Asian	2.40

4

South Asian

0.00

Amongst the modern populations of Western Europe, not taking South Italians into consideration, Sardinians are the ones showing the lowest Atlantic/Southern ratio, not that far from Ötzi's one. I'd like to add it somehow shows in their more extreme phenotypes even though this is just speculation.

Sardinians rather escaped Bronze Age migrations which brought the "West Asian" component into Western Europe : 2.40% is low. The fact that placenames in mountainous Sardinia appear to be superficially Basco-Iberian-looking is a proof that the "West Asian" component is to be linked with Indo-European languages.

Nevertheless the Basque language, ancient Iberian and ancient Sardinia are not necessarily Upper Paleolithic languages : they could very well be the language of Neolithic farmers or some sort of Neolithic pidgin.


To be followed ...

Goierri : Gipuzkoa (Spain)

Goierri ("Highlands" in Basque) is made of the high valleys of the Urola and Oria rivers.

 

• Sample :

Full size

• Analyzis :

- Lepto type : triangle-shaped face, long convex nose, grey eyes are the most striking features. Those people are all very Basque-looking : most people fall in that variation, the homogeneity is impressive.

 

- Brachy type : pseudo-slanted eyes are somehow a reality.

• Morphotypes :

Let's play with Oracle-4

For a brief remainder :

- 'K7b' results : "Dienekes' K7b calculator : my results"
Both a remote genetic cousin of mine from West Béarn and myself from East Béarn do differ from mainstream French for low West Asian admixture which peaks in the Caucasus.

- 'Oracle' results : "My Oracle results (Population Sharing)"
The algorithm finds - for two different calculators - that I'm closest to Spanish Basques, then to French Basques, then to Cantabrians and Aragonese people.

- 'globe10' results : "Dienekes' globe10 calculator : my results"
Basically speaking, I can be analyzed as the succession of 3 layers : 76% Atlantic-Baltic (peaking in Mesolithic Asturians) / 21% Southern (peaking in Palestinians, probably linked with Neolithic migrations) / 2% West Asian (peaking in the Caucasus, Indo-Europeans ?).

- "D-statistics on ADMIXTURE components"
Are my minor components from ADMIXTURE runs real or just algorithmic artefacts ?


Now, let's deal with Oracle-4 : the philosophy behind that tool is the same that behind Oracle except results are more complete. Let's see them when used with Dienekes' world9 calculator :


I . Admix Results :

#	Population	Percent
1	Atlantic_Baltic	73.55
2	Southern	23.88
3	Caucasus_Gedrosia	2.57

The three main "layers" are to be found again, with different values according to calculators and samples used : world9 results are pretty to similar to world10 results. I also show 0.88% Amerindian and 0.63% South Asian but they are probably artefacts.

Let's compare these results with populations of interest for me : see Dienekes' world9 spreadsheet for other results.


1. Spanish Basques :

#	Population	Percent
1	Atlantic_Baltic	74.20
2	Southern	24.40
3	Caucasus_Gedrosia	0.80

2. French Basques :

#	Population	Percent
1	Atlantic_Baltic	74.40
2	Southern	24.60
3	Caucasus_Gedrosia	0.60

Both Basque populations are virtually similar. Very low Caucasian admixture. Both populations also show minor Amerindian and South Asian but those are probably artefacts.

I'm thus confirmed to be higher on Caucasian admixture than Basque people (circa 2,6% against less than 1% for Basque people). I believe this admixture is real and is not an artefact : my home area was more opened to the latest waves of migrants coming from the East, even though just marginally.


3. French people :
 

#	Population	Percent
1	Atlantic_Baltic	69.50
2	Southern	18.50
3	Caucasus_Gedrosia	10.80

What does "French" mean ? Nothing. That free-access sample has been used for years on the Internet : allegedly it was captured in Lyon (SE France, Rhône valley) but when analyzed (for instance the famous 23andme graph), there are some disparities that hint to the fact those French people are of varied origins (probably a mix of Rhodanian and Alpine people with extra Provençal and Burgundian imput : this is the basis of the peopling of modern Lyon).

Nevertheless, about 10% of Caucasian admixture is high in regards to my own results : on average, the French, whatever that means, have been strongly affected by Bronze Age migrants and Indo-European migrations. Add that those migrants reaching Western Europe were already mixed through their journey from East to West and consequently already showed strong numbers in the main two components. The impact of such migrations should then be higher than the sole Caucasian admixture result.

Not taking Caucasian admixture into account, the Atlantic/Southern ratio is around 3.7 for the French. It is around 3 for my own results just like the Basques. That means that French people from Lyon were less affected by previous southern migrations (Neolithic ?) which might have brough agriculture than the Basques and myself.


4. Aragonese people :

#	Population	Percent
1	Atlantic_Baltic	66.40
2	Southern	27.50
3	Caucasus_Gedrosia	4.90

What does "Aragonese" mean ? Nothing : Aragon is pretty varied and one should expect people from Jacetania in the Pyrenees to differ much from people in the Ebro valley or from Teruel.

Still, the results are interesting : Aragonese people show a relatively low Caucasian admixture within the European context which is coherent with what we know of the pre-Indo-European character of this land (either Vasconic or Iberian).

The Atlantic/Southern ratio is 2.4 : the area from where those people Aragonese people were sampled were more strongly affected by Neolithic migrations than Basque people and the French. I suppose one can guess the sample is from around the Ebro valley.


5. Cantabrians :

#	Population	Percent
1	Atlantic_Baltic	66.90
2	Southern	26.60
3	Caucasus_Gedrosia	5.00

Cantbrians show results rather similar to Aragonese people : 5% of Caucasian still is rather low when compared with the French but is very high when compared to neighbouring Basque people.We know Cantabria was indo-europeanized as proved by ancient onomastics : this is one genetic proof.

The Atlantic/Southern ratio is 2.5, on par with Aragonese results. Let's notice that Cantabria shows non-negligible African admixture (around 0.8%), probably a proxy for North African admixture that I dare link with the many forth and back migrations between Iberia and North Africa in prehistoric times.

The reasons why Basque lands escaped such migrations remain a mystery : Cantabria and the Basque Country are pretty similar geographically wise. More local samples would be needed : people from Las Encartaciones in Biscay might differ from mainstream Basque people for instance. Conversely, Pas people in Cantabria might differ from people in Campoo.


6. Catalan people :

#	Population	Percent
1	Atlantic_Baltic	65.80
2	Southern	25.60
3	Caucasus_Gedrosia	7.30

Unsurprisingly enough, Catalan people appear to be more affected by Caucasian admixture than fellow Cantabrian and Aragonese people : Catalonia is more opened to foreign influence. The Atlantic/Southern ratio is also 2.5, on par with Aragon.

If possible, more local samples would be needed : people from Pyrenean Catalonia clearly must differ from people in Tarragona.


7. Other Iberians :

You can browse the spreadsheet for other Iberians' results. Main trends are the following ones :

- As one goes southwards, the Atlantic/Southern ratio is lower : southern areas of Iberia were more affected by Neolithic migrations than northern areas.

- Some areas do show substantial African admixture as defined by this algorithm (part of true North African admixture might be hidden since an African component is used as a proxy by the algorithm) : 2,1% for Extremadura, 1,6% for Galicia, 4,1% for Canary Islands.



II . Population approximations :


Here are my various results.


1. Using 1 population approximation :

1 Pais_Vasco @ 1.983
2 French_Basque @ 2.307
3 Cantabria @ 7.640
4 Aragon @ 8.369
5 French @ 9.158
6 Cataluna @ 9.231
7 Spanish @ 10.120
8 Valencia @ 10.268
9 French @ 10.682
10 Spaniards @ 11.639


The results are not surprising, they have been quite consistent since such tools exist : I'm closest to Basque people, something which could be inferred by my admixture results. My only difference with Basque people seem to stem from a higher West Asian admixture which seems pretty logical considering my area at the feet of the Pyrenees never was as isolated as deep Basque valleys.

Then come Cantabrians and Aragonese people aka peripheral Vasconic people : despite the undeniable Celtic past of Cantabria and what appears to be a sharp genetic rift somewhere near the border with Biscay, Cantabrian people still are close to other Vasconic people.

One can theoricize that Asturian people would be somewhere inbetween Cantabrians and Galicians. Nevertheless, the Iberian peninsula is confirmed to be divided into two parts by a line which would go from Asturias to Murcia.


2. Using 2 populations approximation :

1 50% Pais_Vasco +50% Pais_Vasco @ 1.983
2 50% French_Basque +50% Pais_Vasco @ 2.140
3 50% French_Basque +50% French_Basque @ 2.307
4 50% French_Basque +50% Cantabria @ 3.391
5 50% Pais_Vasco +50% Cantabria @ 3.467
6 50% French +50% French_Basque @ 3.469
7 50% French +50% Pais_Vasco @ 3.667
8 50% French_Basque +50% Aragon @ 3.827
9 50% French_Basque +50% Cataluna @ 3.874
10 50% Aragon +50% Pais_Vasco @ 3.892


I'm best explained as being the result of two Spanish Basques. The results are not that interesting : the algorithm seems to try coping with my West Asian admixture, hence why it uses Cantabrians then French as a way to balance the low West Asian imput in the Basques.


3. Using 4 populations approximation :


1 French + French_Basque + French_Basque + French_Basque @ 0.734
2 French + French_Basque + French_Basque + Pais_Vasco @ 0.833
3 French + French_Basque + Pais_Vasco + Pais_Vasco @ 0.934
4 French + Pais_Vasco + Pais_Vasco + Pais_Vasco @ 1.037
5 French + French_Basque + French_Basque + French_Basque @ 1.081
6 French + French_Basque + French_Basque + Pais_Vasco @ 1.179
7 French + French_Basque + Pais_Vasco + Pais_Vasco @ 1.280
8 French + Pais_Vasco + Pais_Vasco + Pais_Vasco @ 1.382
9 French_Basque + French_Basque + French_Basque + Cataluna @ 1.613
10 French_Basque + French_Basque + Cataluna + Pais_Vasco @ 1.634
11 French_Basque + Cataluna + Pais_Vasco + Pais_Vasco @ 1.663
12 Cataluna + Pais_Vasco + Pais_Vasco + Pais_Vasco @ 1.699
13 Lithuanian + French_Basque + French_Basque + Sardinian @ 1.745
14 French_Basque + French_Basque + Sardinian + Lithuanians @ 1.750
15 Pais_Vasco + Pais_Vasco + Pais_Vasco + Cantabria @ 1.787
16 French_Basque + Pais_Vasco + Pais_Vasco + Cantabria @ 1.792
17 French_Basque + French_Basque + Pais_Vasco + Cantabria @ 1.804
18 French_Basque + French_Basque + French_Basque + Cantabria @ 1.823
19 Lithuanian + French_Basque + Sardinian + Pais_Vasco @ 1.839
20 French_Basque + Sardinian + Lithuanians + Pais_Vasco @ 1.845


The first approximation seems to be quite precise : to sum up, my genetic background is one of a Basque individual switched towards France or Catalonia. Nothing surrealistic here. Quite boring actually ! People who know their background cannot expect surprises.

Nevertheless, when having a look at these results, I can only wish France one day will get interested in genetic studies and that we will be able to access new samples.

D-statistics on ADMIXTURE components

Aka I'm the subject of an article by Dienekes ! : )
Well, DOD133 actually.

I don't get all the subtleties, but as far as I understand the article, it's about detecting whether minor components from ADMIXTURE runs are real or just algorithmic artefacts :

One of the most persistent questions I get as admin of the Dodecad Project is whether some low level of admixture (e.g., 0.7%) of some ancestral component is "noise" or "real".

You can check the article here :

D-statistics on ADMIXTURE components 

 

Carnia : Friuli (Italy)

Carnia is located south of the main chain of the Carnic Alps, in the northwest of the Udine province.

 

•  Sample :

Full size

• Analyzis :

- Brachy type : the following individuals are part of a classical North Italian variation, many of them do exhibit blondism and sharp features.

Another series :

- Lepto type : pan-North Italian (sharp features, light features).

• Morphotypes :

La Gomera : Canary Islands (Spain)

According to a 2011 study, autochtonous Guanche autosomal ancestry is at its highest in La Gomera, circa 40%.

• Sample :

Full size

• Brief anthropological analyzis :

- Brachy type : some individuals may show Berber features but all in all those people look Andalusian (wide-spaced sloping and rather chinky eyes, short and sometimes broad nose, well-defined mouth area, ...)

- Lepto type : once more some individuals may show Berber features but all in all those people look Andalusian within a pan-Iberian variation (narrow "horsy" face, long and straight nose yet somehow large, a rather broad jaw, close-set eyes, ...)

 

 

• Final morphotypes :