who's lighter: Bulgarians or Croats?

[Token]

Croats are like the French of Eastern Europe. Almost North Europeans (in the widest sense of the label).

[Zeno]

Greeks are probably darkest Europeans.

Yeah, probably (there are other darker ones), but not that dark. And, really, Sweden and Finland are only 55% blond?

[Bakha]

Greeks are probably darkest Europeans.

Europeans only geographically not genetically. Genetically they are borderline Levantine

[The Blade]

Interesting that Bulgarians are the closest south slavs shifted towards both Czechs AND Ukrainians in terms of haplogroups:



In Map B above. Bulgaria6 sample is closest to Czechs while Bulgaria3 sample is closest to Ukraine. I wonder which regions each of those Bulgaria samples is from.

Slavic Greece and Albania are even closer to Czechs in haplogroups, which I find to be strange, but I suppose that northern Greece and Macedonia were simply influenced by a few Slavic Chads to a much larger degree (i.e. rape) than Illyria or Thracia

Would appreciate any detailed explanations on that

Unsurprisingly, Bosnians are shifted the furthest in haplogroups out of any south slavs, which makes sense because Illyria was the most insular out of all the Balkan regions

In terms of mtDNA (map C), south slavs are closer to Balto-Finnic regions than Russians and Ukrainians are, which I find to be strange. I'm taking a total guess here, but I suppose it's due to mtDNA being more of an ancient component, and thus Bosnia and Balto-Finland are the most insular and thus are closer to each other than Russians are, which experienced lots of invasions compared to Bosnia.

Bosnia3 mtDNA sample is the south slav outlier; would like an explanation on that one as well

Sample closest to Ukraine is probably from the northeast. Bulgarians from this area of the state are closest to Ukrainians phenotypically.
The sample plotting near Czech Republic could be from various areas, Haskovo being a good contender.
Much of the genetic legacy of Thracians was more northern shifted than the average Bulgarian nowadays. The Bulgars, on the other hand, displayed East Mediterranean and Iranic characteristics with minor Central Asian element (mainly among the nobility).
Here you can see how Bulgarians and other European nations plot (unfortunately not all states participate):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_history_of_Europe
Bulgaria genetic distance to:
- Hungary - 1,10 (maybe Romania could equal or top that)
- Switzerland - 1,13
- Austria - 1,14
- Southern Germany - 1,19
- Czech Republic - 1,21
- France - 1,22
- Poland - 1,29
- Spain - 1,30
- Northern Germany/Northern Italy (equidistant) - 1,32
- Southern Italy - 1,38
- Sweden - 1,47
- Russia - 1,53
- Estonia - 1,70
- Lithuania - 1,73
- Latvia - 1,86
- Finland (Helsinki) - 2,19
- Finland (Kuusamo) - 2,91

I cannot explain the Bosnia/Finland relation well though.

[Jana]

10 genetically closest populations for Bulgarians and Croatians:

[Pribislav]

10 genetically closest populations for Bulgarians and Croatians:

Montenegrins ploting more northern than Serbs.

[Jana]

Montenegrins ploting more northern than Serbs.

Coon also wrote they are lighter (CM) than Ponto-Dinarid Serbs.

[Pribislav]

Coon also wrote they are lighter (CM) than Ponto-Dinarid Serbs.

Of course they are not lighter. Srbijanci are lighter than Montenegrins on average, even Torlakians are ligher not to mention western Serbia.

[Jana]

Of course they are not lighter. Srbijanci are lighter than Montenegrins on average, even Torlakians are ligher not to mention western Serbia.

No they aren't.

[Jana]

Usually Serbs would blame Montenegrins for their southern shift, but turns out Montenegrins are more northern than Serbs