Bronze Age

European Farmer (6300–2800 BC) – 37.6%

This is the largest component. These early Neolithic farmers came from Anatolia and spread agriculture into Europe, including Sicily. They are considered the ancestors of most modern Mediterranean populations.

This reflects the deep Neolithic roots of Sicily, which became a major hub of early farming and settled life.

Copper Age Zagros (6000–5700 BC) – 19.4%

From the Iranian plateau, these groups brought technologies and genes into the Near East and later toward the Mediterranean via trade and migration.

This might reflect early contacts between Mesopotamian-Iranian highland populations and Mediterranean societies. It suggests distant eastern influence, possibly through maritime or trade networks.

Egyptian (780–400 BC) – 16.4%

This is from the late Bronze to early Iron Age period in Egypt. Egypt had long-standing commercial and cultural ties with the Mediterranean, especially with coastal Sicily.

This could reflect Phoenician-Carthaginian presence in Sicily (Carthage had Egyptian roots), or ancient Mediterranean mixing through trade and colonization.

Central Steppe (2100–1800 BC) – 13.6%

These are Indo-European steppe peoples linked to the Yamnaya and later cultures, who spread across Europe bringing with them new technologies and languages.

May correspond to the Indo-European influences that reached southern Italy and Sicily via Italic, Mycenaean, or even Greek colonists.

Bronze Age Caucasian (3700–1700 BC) – 6.2%

From the Caucasus mountains, this group contributed to early metallurgy, horse domestication, and complex societies.

Likely came through secondary waves of migration or blending with Steppe and Anatolian groups that reached Sicily.

Bronze Age Anatolian (3400–1500 BC) – 3.0%

Anatolia (modern Turkey) was a cradle of Bronze Age civilizations like the Hittites.

Reflects shared ancestry with early Mediterranean populations that passed through or originated in Anatolia before spreading west.

Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex (2000–1600 BC) – 3.0%

Located in present-day Turkmenistan/Afghanistan, this region was a Bronze Age oasis culture.

A distant echo of Indo-Iranian migrations that eventually influenced European gene pools. Rare but shows long-range prehistoric connections.

These results reflect Sicily’s role as a genetic and cultural crossroads, a place where Neolithic farmers, Eastern Mediterranean traders, Indo-European migrants, and North African influences all left a mark. This mixture is typical of Sicilians, especially those with deep roots on the island.

Sicily’s ancient population layers include:

• Prehistoric Neolithic farmers from the Mediterranean

• Phoenician and Carthaginian colonists (likely related to the Egyptian component)

• Greek settlers from the 8th century BC

• Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, and more (later layers not in this Bronze Age breakdown)
  
  

My Ancient Genetic Origins: A Sicilian Mosaic

My DNA traces back to some of the earliest human civilizations of the Bronze Age. With strong roots in Neolithic European farmers (37.6%) and significant connections to the Zagros region of Iran (19.4%) and ancient Egyptians (16.4%), my ancestry reflects the rich web of cultures that once moved through the Mediterranean.

Smaller but meaningful percentages from the Central Asian Steppe, Caucasus, and Anatolia point to prehistoric migrations, perhaps linked to the Indo-European expansion, that helped shape the complex genetic identity of Sicily.