Not the only reason, haha! It is also having to do with various Levantine and Anatolian populations!
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I just got back from a Greek festival. I asked many people who I was talking to where they came from. Aegean islanders are almost pure Gracile Meds, sometimes with Dinarid and Armenoid, and looked identical to southern Italians. Those from the mainland had more Alpine, Dinaric, and were lighter.
They are mostly Raeti, Italic with Celtic and Germanic admixture. That they are lighter than Southern Italians has more to do with the geography and climate than Greek influence. geographically speaking North Italy could be considered as part of Central Europe.
I notice that the trend now is paling the Greece:coffee:
Northern Italians are generally Latinized Celts who were later Germanized
Southern Italians are generally Latinized Greeks who were later re-Hellenized
Central Italians are generally Latins and Etruscans containing some mixture with the above two
North Italy have various influences, before Latino Faliscians(ancient Veneti), than Umbrian and Etruscan (Ravenna, Cesena, Bologna, Mantova, Spina).Liguri were on the Tyrrenian side. Than arrived Celts (Isubri, Boii, Salassii, Taurinii, Orobii, Senoni ecc), and later Goths and Longobards, and were never GermanizedQuote:
Northern Italians are generally Latinized Celts who were later Germanized
Centarl Italy is mainly of Italic stock, with some Celts and perhaps Illyrian on the Adriatic side. Etruscan were probabily an elite that imposed their culture on an Italic population (Villanovian). There were also Longobards (Duchy of Tuscia, Duchy of Spoleto)Quote:
Central Italians are generally Latins and Etruscans containing some mixture with the above two
Greeks occupied only the coastal of Italy and not all South Italy was occupied, but the hinterland was occupied by Italic people (Samnites, Lucanii, Brettii, Campanii, Siculi ecc) and Illyrians (Dauni, Messapii, Paucetii). Than there were also Longobards (Duchy of Benevento), Normans, immigrants from North Italy and from Albania (Arbereshe)Quote:
Southern Italians are generally Latinized Greeks who were later re-Hellenized
I find it hard to believe that the Goths and Longobards, not to mention the Austrians, didn't have a reasonable influence on the genetics of N. Italy.
I don't believe that there were Celts or Illyrians in Central Italy. Not saying it's false, just that I don't believe so.
There was also a Longobard principality in Salerno until Norman times.
I don't dispute that Apulia (other than Salento, which should be a region of its own) was originally Illyrian. However, modern Apulia has more Greek influence than Illyrian. Perhaps the Byzantines are to blame.