Does the average(southern?)italian feels kinship with non-european meditteraneans?

**Mortimer** · 01-20-2017, 04:46 AM

Southern and East Meds that means parts of northafrica and middle east, everything around the med sea south and east of europe. I know alfieb and Sikeliot do, what about the others?

**~~Hamlet~~** · 01-20-2017, 04:52 AM

I'd imagine not for most S. Italians though...

**~~Sikeliot~~** · 01-20-2017, 05:00 AM

Most southern Italians would be surprised to find out their genetic makeup. I don't think most Sicilians feel direct kinship with MENAs but I think they are aware they're somewhat related to them, but they don't realize the extent of the genetic closeness and likely assume MENA people all are very dark.

**~~Sikeliot~~** · 01-20-2017, 05:06 AM

One of my former romantic interests was Sicilian on both sides of his family and an ad came on TV for Ancestry.com when we were together.. I told him to test and he said "Why would I do that, it'll just say 100% Italian" and I informed him that wasn't the case and he would likely score significant Middle Eastern and that Sicilians have a lot of Levantine ancestry, he was NOT happy about it. He indicated that he considered Middle Eastern people very different from himself, was prejudiced against them, and was not particularly happy to know he shares a lot of ancestry with them.

**Mortimer** · 01-20-2017, 05:21 AM

Originally Posted by Sikeliot

One of my former romantic interests was Sicilian on both sides of his family and an ad came on TV for Ancestry.com when we were together.. I told him to test and he said "Why would I do that, it'll just say 100% Italian" and I informed him that wasn't the case and he would likely score significant Middle Eastern and that Sicilians have a lot of Levantine ancestry, he was NOT happy about it. He indicated that he considered Middle Eastern people very different from himself, was prejudiced against them, and was not particularly happy to know he shares a lot of ancestry with them.

I think sicilians dont score more then 10% middle eastern on 23andme some only 5%. I saw only a few results though. Significant is not less then 20%

**~~Sikeliot~~** · 01-20-2017, 05:27 AM

Originally Posted by Mortimer

I think sicilians dont score more then 10% middle eastern on 23andme some only 5%. I saw only a few results though. Significant is not less then 20%

Their autosomal placement though is close to Cyprus, Druze, Lebanese, and a lot of Jewish groups though, not to Europe.

**Mortimer** · 01-20-2017, 05:29 AM

Originally Posted by Sikeliot

Their autosomal placement though is close to Cyprus, Druze, Lebanese, and a lot of Jewish groups though, not to Europe.

those groups are borderline euro themselfes. they for sure have lots of euro blood too. im no expert but can you tell me how of the middle east component italians score? i saw alfiebs results and he was 5% middle eastern.

**~~Sikeliot~~** · 01-20-2017, 05:50 AM

Originally Posted by Mortimer

those groups are borderline euro themselfes. they for sure have lots of euro blood too. im no expert but can you tell me how of the middle east component italians score? i saw alfiebs results and he was 5% middle eastern.

There was every reason to believe alfieb never revealed his true results, and he was definitely not full Sicilian by his own admittance.. but I think he was not 7/8 like he said, probably half. The Middle East component ranges, on AncestryDNA usually Sicilians are 25-30% Caucasus + Middle East and it decreases as you move north.

**glicine max** · 01-20-2017, 10:15 AM

Originally Posted by Sikeliot

One of my former romantic interests was Sicilian on both sides of his family and an ad came on TV for Ancestry.com when we were together.. I told him to test and he said "Why would I do that, it'll just say 100% Italian" and I informed him that wasn't the case and he would likely score significant Middle Eastern and that Sicilians have a lot of Levantine ancestry, he was NOT happy about it. He indicated that he considered Middle Eastern people very different from himself, was prejudiced against them, and was not particularly happy to know he shares a lot of ancestry with them.

Sicilians are 100% italians by the way,the "italian" you see in genetic calculations is a dummy variable,indeed,just beacause siclians score less italian doesn't mean they are foreigners to italian peninsula.The levantine contribution is older and in most cases predates the indoeurpean invasions.The very name of Italia was given first ,by greeks, to people inhabiting modern day Calabria.As Cavalli-Sforza noted,Italy's genetic makeup is very homogeneous time-wise;and was shaped mainly in pre-roman times.Usually ,is some detractors of Sicily and S.Italy who claim the opposite,and try to link them with africans and arabs.So to answer the question,99% of southern italians,rightfully, feel kinship with the rest of Italy and consider midlle east people as alien and their culture as distant.

**Oddone** · 01-20-2017, 11:40 AM

Originally Posted by Mortimer

Southern and East Meds that means parts of northafrica and middle east, everything around the med sea south and east of europe. I know alfieb and Sikeliot do, what about the others?

The vast majority of Southern Italians from Italy feel no kinship with non-European mediterraneans. When it comes to non-European things, Italians prefer eat a Japanese sushi/sashimi than any north African or middle-eastern food. And to be honest, North Africans and Middle Easterners are badly seen anywhere in Europe, including South Italy. After the Roma (Gypsies), they are those who integrate worse in Italy.

Originally Posted by Sikeliot

Most southern Italians would be surprised to find out their genetic makeup. I don't think most Sicilians feel direct kinship with MENAs but I think they are aware they're somewhat related to them, but they don't realize the extent of the genetic closeness and likely assume MENA people all are very dark.

I think most southern Italians aren't even interested in their genetic makeup.