Iron Age

Iberian (700–50 BC) – 33.2%

A significant portion of my DNA connects to ancient Iberians in what is now Spain and Portugal. These people had a mix of indigenous and North African ancestry and later interacted with Phoenicians and Carthaginians.

The strong Iberian signal may reflect Carthaginian expansion, as Carthage (founded by Phoenicians from the Levant) controlled parts of both Iberia and western Sicily. This could also echo shared Mediterranean trade routes or even Siculo-Iberian migrations or mercenary movement during Punic Wars.

Urartian (850–750 BC) – 21.2%

From the Armenian Highlands, the Urartians were a powerful Iron Age kingdom near the borders of ancient Mesopotamia. Their genetic legacy may appear in Mediterranean populations via eastern trade routes and alliances.

Although geographically distant, Urartian ancestry could reflect deep Eastern Mediterranean or Caucasian influences, possibly transmitted through Phoenician or Anatolian intermediaries involved in Sicilian trade networks or later eastern populations absorbed into the Roman Empire.

Egyptian (780–400 BC) – 15.6%

Egypt in the Iron Age interacted with Greece, Phoenicia, and Carthage. Many Mediterranean elites and merchant classes had Egyptian links or ancestry.

This could reflect Phoenician-Carthaginian-Egyptian links to western Sicily. The Carthaginians, who colonized parts of Sicily, traced their origins to Tyre (in Lebanon), a city that had deep ties with Egypt.

Continental Celt (800–50 BC) – 14.8%

This component comes from Central European Celtic groups, who spread across much of Western Europe during the Iron Age.

Celts are not traditionally associated with Sicily, but Celtic mercenaries and Gallic tribes did move through southern Italy and occasionally into Sicily. This component may also reflect earlier Indo-European ancestry already present from Bronze Age migrations.

Anatolian (780–30 BC) – 11.2%

Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) was home to Hellenized kingdoms, as well as older Hittite and Luwian cultures.

This may reflect Greek colonization of Sicily, especially from western Anatolia. The Greeks founded many cities in Sicily starting in the 8th century BC, bringing with them both Hellenic and Anatolian ancestry.

Arabian Peninsula – 2.4%

A small but notable percentage from the Arabian Peninsula. In Iron Age terms, this would reflect populations involved in early Semitic migrations, perhaps linked to Phoenicians, who originated near this region.

Possibly an echo of Phoenician trade or colonization, or later Arab-Berber influence that came after the Iron Age but is still detectable genetically.

Ancient Ancestral South Indian – 1.4%

This trace component might seem surprising, but it often reflects very ancient southern Eurasian ancestry.

Possibly a very ancient gene flow through trade routes like the Maritime Silk Road or through Middle Eastern intermediaries like the Persians or Arabs who had contact with both India and the Mediterranean.

Iron Age Roots: A Sicilian Mosaic of the Ancient World

In the Iron Age, my ancestors stood at the heart of a world in motion. My DNA tells a story that spans Iberia, Egypt, Anatolia, the Caucasus, and the Central Mediterranean, a vivid reflection of Sicily’s role as a hub of trade, conquest, and cultural fusion.

With strong ties to Iberian peoples (33.2%) and influences from the Urartian Highlands (21.2%) and Egypt (15.6%), my heritage echoes the deep currents that connected the ancient Mediterranean.

Minor contributions from Celts, Anatolians, Arabians, and even South Indians show how, even before the Roman Empire, Sicily was already a world in miniature, a place where civilizations met, mingled, and left their trace in blood and memory.