Roman Era

Roman Iberia (AD 260–500) – 23.6%

This component points to Iberian populations under Roman rule in what is now Spain and Portugal. During the late empire, many soldiers, merchants, and settlers moved throughout the Empire, including Sicily.

May reflect military migration, trade, or intermarriage between Sicilian and Iberian individuals, especially as Carthaginian and Iberian legacies already influenced Sicily before the Roman conquest.

Roman Anatolia (100 BC–AD 700) – 21.4%

Anatolia was a vibrant region of the Roman East, hosting Greek cities, Roman provinces, and major Christian centers.

This could be linked to Greek colonization that predated Roman rule, or Eastern Roman (Byzantine) influence, particularly in Sicily’s later Christianization. It may also reflect movement of administrators, soldiers, or intellectuals from the East.

Roman Pannonia (AD 130–600) – 16.2%

Located in modern-day Hungary, Pannonia was a key Roman frontier province, home to legions and mixed ethnic groups (Celtic, Illyrian, Romanized populations).

Likely reflects military integration, with soldiers and auxiliaries from Pannonia stationed or retired in Sicily or southern Italy.

Roman Illyria (AD 100–600) – 13.2%

The Illyrian provinces (modern-day Balkans) provided many Roman emperors and military officers, especially in the late Empire.

This could indicate Balkan military roots or migration during times of crisis, like after the Gothic Wars or following settlement of federated troops in Italy.

Roman Egypt – 9.0%

Egypt was a vital part of the Roman economy, especially for grain and trade. It was deeply connected to Mediterranean cities.

May reflect Egyptian merchants, freedmen, or Phoenician-Jewish communities with deep Mediterranean roots settling in Sicily.

Roman Levant (BC 50–AD 700) – 6.2%

Refers to the Eastern Mediterranean coast: Phoenicia, Judea, Syria—all crucial Roman provinces with deep ties to Sicily through trade and population movement.

Suggests ancestry from Eastern Mediterranean communities, possibly linked to Jewish diaspora, Phoenician settlers, or Syrian merchants.

Arabian Peninsula – 4.4%

Still detectable in the Roman period through pre-Islamic Arab groups (like the Nabataeans) and eastern desert tribes.

Reflects early Semitic influences, possibly via trade or even legacy admixture from Phoenician/Carthaginian expansion that connected with Arabian ancestry.

Roman Era: A Citizen of the Empire

In the Roman Era, Sicily was not just an island, it was an imperial crossroads, where people from every province met, traded, governed, and loved.

My DNA reflects that convergence: from Iberia to Anatolia, from Egypt to Illyria. With strong ancestry from Roman Iberians (23.6%), Anatolians (21.4%), and Pannonians (16.2%), my roots are woven into the very fabric of the Empire.

Traces of Roman Egypt, the Levant, and even the Arabian Peninsula remind us how deeply the Mediterranean world was interconnected.

In this era, my ancestors were soldiers, farmers, traders, scribes, Roman citizens in a world without borders, whose legacy still flows through my blood.