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In recent years, ancient DNA has become a powerful tool for historians and geographers alike. Now, a new study by Lazaridis et al. (2023) titled “A genetic history of the Balkans from Roman frontier to Slavic migrations” gives us a rare genetic window into how today’s Greeks came to be—not just culturally, but biologically.
The researchers analyzed genome-wide data from 136 individuals who lived in the Balkans between 30 BCE and 1100 CE. The study focused on four key ancestry components found in modern Greek populations:
Aegean Bronze and Iron Age
Roman Era Anatolian
Early Medieval (Slavic)
Ottoman-era West Anatolian
Each regional contribution varies significantly across the Greek world—and that variation carries echoes of wars, migrations, and imperial shifts.
This map shows five ancestral components in the DNA of people across modern Greek regions:
Region
Aegean Bronze & Iron Age
Roman Era Anatolian
Early Medieval (Slavic)
Ottoman (West Anatolia)
Greek Macedonia
38.8%
11.1%
40.2%
10.0%
Greek Peloponnese
24.7%
39.2%
29.9%
6.2%
Greek Cyclades
0.0%
75.8%
19.7%
4.5%
Crete
0.0%
73.3%
17.9%
8.8%
Greek Dodecanese
0.0%
84.4%
3.5%
12.1%
Deep Roots: Aegean Bronze & Iron Age DNA
The genetic signature from the Aegean Bronze and Iron Ages—think Mycenaeans and other pre-Classical peoples—forms a strong baseline in many regions, particularly in Greek Macedonia (38.8%) and the Peloponnese (24.7%). These ancient lineages represent continuity from the late second millennium BCE.
Interestingly, this component nearly disappears in the Cyclades, Crete, and Dodecanese today. Why? Those islands were more directly affected by later waves of migration and imperial resettlements.
This ancient layer matches earlier research into the Mycenaean and Minoan genome, which showed a mix of local Aegean ancestry with some distant ties to Neolithic Anatolian farmers.
The Anatolian Connection: Roman-Era Migration From the East
One of the most surprising results in the study was the high percentage of Roman Era Anatolian ancestry in southern and island regions:
Cyclades: 75.8%
Crete: 73.3%
Dodecanese: 84.4%
Peloponnese: 39.2%
These numbers reflect a large-scale influx of people from western and central Anatolia during the Roman Empire. Contrary to what you might expect, the study found very little Italic (i.e., Roman Italian) genetic influence—suggesting that imperial Roman administration in the Balkans was heavily “Eastern” in demographic terms.
This movement likely followed trade and resettlement patterns across the Aegean during the Pax Romana. Western Anatolia was a densely populated and urbanized region under Roman rule, and people from there moved into Greece as merchants, administrators, settlers, and slaves.
Roman soldiers and settlers may have come, but they didn’t settle in large enough numbers to leave a deep genetic footprint. But the Roman Empire left its language, laws, and infrastructure across the Balkans.
Early Medieval Shift: The Slavic Migrations
Between 250–550 CE, the Balkans saw the arrival of ethnically diverse groups moving from Central and Eastern Europe. The genetic signature of these Early Medieval Slavic groups is especially pronounced in Greek Macedonia (40.2%) and still present in Peloponnese (29.9%).
This was part of the so-called “barbarian” migrations, but genetics show it wasn’t a single people—it was a confederation of northern groups including Slavs and steppe nomads. Their arrival marked a huge demographic transition in the Balkans. According to the study, modern Balkan populations derive 30–60% of their ancestry from these medieval migrants.
In contrast, the islands—especially the Dodecanese and Crete—were mostly spared, showing much lower Slavic ancestry.
Ottoman-Era Footprint: A Smaller But Real Imprint
The final component identified in the study is genetic input from Ottoman-era settlers from western Anatolia. This ancestry appears at low but measurable levels, especially in:
Dodecanese (12.1%)
Crete (8.8%)
Greek Macedonia (10.0%)
These numbers are consistent with what we know from historical records: the Ottoman Empire controlled Greece for centuries, and some Muslim settlers moved into the region. However, the overall demographic impact was limited compared to earlier migrations.
So, what does all this mean for how we think about modern Greek identity?
It shows that Greek people today carry ancient roots alongside newer threads, with regional differences shaped by thousands of years of movement, empire, and upheaval. It’s not a straight line—it’s a mosaic. But one based on verifiable data, not national myths.
