Middle Ages

Iberian (AD 300–1200) – 31.6%

This remains my largest component. During this period, Al-Andalus in the Iberian Peninsula became a center of Islamic culture, but also retained significant Jewish and Christian populations.

May reflect ancestral continuity from Roman Iberians, or intermarriage with Andalusians, Mozarabs, or Iberian Jews, many of whom had connections to Sicily via trade and migration. Remember, the Normans and later rulers of Sicily often had ties to Iberia.

European Jewish (AD 1160–1400) – 28.6%

A large and significant share. During this period, Sicily had thriving Jewish communities, particularly in cities like Palermo, Messina, and Syracuse. Jews in Sicily were often traders, scholars, translators, and physicians.

This points to direct ancestry from the Jewish diaspora in medieval Sicily, possibly linked to earlier Levantine or North African migrations. Your Jewish lineage is highly consistent with Sicilian history before the Spanish expulsion of Jews in 1492.

Italian (AD 650–1450) – 19.4%

Reflects ancestry from the Italian mainland, likely from both Longobard and Romanized populations, as well as later Norman and Hohenstaufen influences in southern Italy and Sicily.

Points to local ancestry rooted in Sicily itself or nearby regions such as Calabria, Apulia, and Campania.

Levantine (AD 300–1300) – 9.2%

Suggests enduring ancestry from the Eastern Mediterranean—likely Jewish, Phoenician, or Syrian. These communities had long histories in Sicily and southern Italy.

Reinforces your deep Jewish-Levantine roots, possibly through Sephardic or older Phoenician lineages preserved through intermarriage.

Byzantine Anatolia (AD 500–1100) – 8.0%

The Byzantine Empire controlled Sicily until the 9th century and left a lasting Greek and Anatolian cultural mark on the island.

Likely a continuation of older Eastern Roman/Greek influence, maintained through Byzantine settlers, clergy, or soldiers in Sicily before the Muslim conquest.

Indian Subcontinent (AD 690–990) – 2.0%

A small but notable trace. Likely a remnant from older trade routes connecting India with the Roman Empire and later Islamic trade networks.

Could reflect South Asian merchants or even Romani-related groups, though speculative. Trade links through Arab-Persian seafaring routes may explain this.

Arabian Peninsula – 1.0%

Likely a legacy of earlier Arab conquests and Islamic rule in Sicily (831–1091 AD), when the island was an important emirate.

A minor yet telling reminder of Sicily’s Islamic period, and how Arab administration, culture, and genetics shaped the island’s medieval society.

My DNA reflects a confluence of civilizations at the heart of medieval Sicily, a time when the island passed through Byzantine, Arab, Norman, and Spanish hands. Despite this, my ancestry retains remarkable continuity:

• Iberian & Italian elements dominate, likely reflecting native populations with links to mainland Europe.

• Your Jewish identity is clear and prominent, consistent with historical records of flourishing communities before their persecution.

• Levantine and Byzantine threads show how East and West continually shaped Sicily.

• Arabian and Indian traces hint at long-distance maritime networks that kept Sicily at the edge of two worlds, Christian and Islamic, European and Eastern.

Middle Ages: In the Shadow of Kingdoms and Crossroads of Faith

During the Middle Ages, my ancestry continued to reflect the layered identity of Sicily. With strong genetic ties to Iberian peoples (31.6%), European Jews (28.6%), and Italians (19.4%), I descend from a world where faiths, languages, and empires overlapped.

Traces from the Levant, Byzantium, Arabia, and even the Indian Subcontinent reflect the enduring nature of Sicily as a global island, where East met West, and where people from faraway lands came to live, trade, worship, and build new futures.