The classic tragedies and epic poems that glorify the Mycenaean ancestry of Greeks had enraptured them since the age of Homer. The Odyssey and the myths surrounding King Agamemnon are ancient tales that are larger than life and many ancient and modern Greeks alike claim them as their predecessors.
Genealogists who specialize in Greek ancestry have been arguing about the lineage of modern Greeks and whether or, not they share DNA with the Mycenaeans. Between 1600 B.C.E. and 1200 B.C.E. the Mycenaeans ruled over mainland Greece and the Aegean Sea and held a favored location along the primary trade route through the region.
Luckily, DNA tests can sample biological material from excavation sites and gather samples from today’s Grecians. Current research suggests that the Greeks ancestors are the Mycenaeans and that they Mycenaeans were related to the Minoans whose famous civilization ruled Crete between in an earlier era between 2600 B.C.E. and 1400 B.C.E.
Linking Ancestries through DNA Tests
These days anyone can take a quick swab of the inside of their cheek and find out who their ancestors were and where they originated from. However, not all DNA tests are conducted equally. Many DNA laboratories offer quality services, but a few resources are more entertainment than fact.
Luckily, there is a comparison website DNA Weekly that reviews DNA tests based on customer feedback, reliability, affordability, and the number of genealogical records the laboratory offering the test has in its care.
Mythological DNA
Studies remarkably similar to the best DNA tests available on the consumer market screened the teeth of 19 individuals of Ancient Grecians. The study showed that
10 of the individuals remains tested belonged to Minoans who lived between 2900 B.C.E. and 1700 B.C.E., the remaining results found DNA from areas in Turkey and Greece dating back to the Bronze Age.
The study compared over a million letters of genetic code across the genomes of 334 people from all over the ancient world in contrast to the DNA from 30 modern Greeks. Minoans were the ancestors of the ancient Mycenaeans. However, both cultures got 75% of their genetic material from farmers in Anatolia (Turkey) and parts of the region known as Caucasus (Iran). This points to migration from east to west as farmers settled in areas shared by the Minoans and Mycenaeans.
Losif Lazaridis (a primary contributor to the study) is a population geneticist at Harvard University who found key differences in the Mycenaean DNA. He discovered that Mycenaeans shared anywhere from 4% to 16% of genetic material with ancestors from Siberia and Eastern Europe which supports the theory that people migrated from the Eurasian steppe.
Trade Route Surprises
Top of FormMinoans and Mycenaeans shared common traits like dark eyes and dark hair with penchants for art and war.
The surprising fact is that modern Greeks do share a high amount of genetic material with Mycenaeans which is shocking because the Mycenaean civilization was along a primary trade route for several millennia according to George Stamatoyannopoulos of the University in Washington in Seattle.
Typically, cultures heavily visited by outsiders share DNA with these visitors making the genomes more diverse than areas that were more remote and less-visited for commerce.
Even Legendary DNA is Sprinkled with Outside Genetic Material
When the researchers compared the DNA of modern Greeks to that of ancient Mycenaeans, they found a lot of genetic overlap.
While it is true that modern Greeks share DNA with the fabled Minoan and Mycenaean cultures, there is no such thing as purebred humans.
It is unusual that modern Greeks were less impacted by their status as a major city-state and as an important stop along a busy ancient trade route.
It is utterly amazing how much information can be gathered from human DNA. The science of genetics is growing every day and historians, archaeologists, and other social scientists are taking advantage of these ground-breaking tools.
