Who are the primary ancestors of the Maltese?

[Sikeliot]

Like the Ashkenazi thread.

To me, the answer is obvious. But some people hold onto some strange ideas.

[Smeagol]

Sicilians.

[Sikeliot]

Sicilians.

From when? The first settlers of Malta were pre-Greek inhabitants of Sicily in 5000 BC, but Maltese also have in many cases common Sicilian surnames, traced back to specific towns, suggesting recent origin.

[StonyArabia]

Sicilians from ancient to present times with little Berber, Arab, and Levantine ancestry.

[Smeagol]

From when? The first settlers of Malta were pre-Greek inhabitants of Sicily in 5000 BC, but Maltese also have in many cases common Sicilian surnames, traced back to specific towns, suggesting recent origin.

Both ancient, and modern.

[Pjeter Pan]

From when? The first settlers of Malta were pre-Greek inhabitants of Sicily in 5000 BC, but Maltese also have in many cases common Sicilian surnames, traced back to specific towns, suggesting recent origin.

From Sicily, the people were called sicani
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malta

[Sikeliot]

People voting the first option are essentially saying Maltese are descended from the Sicilian population before it received Greek influence.

[Pjeter Pan]

Sicani
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicani

[Sikeliot]

From Sicily, the people were called sicani
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malta

Sicani were believed to be Iberian by one of the Greek historians but really they were just a Neolithic population, and if Maltese have ancestry from them it's obvious in their haplogroups -- full of J2, E1b1b etc

[Stormer99]

Maltese are the closest thing there is to Sicilians.