LAYERED GENOMIC COMPOSITION AND LINGUISTIC CONTINUITY IN GRECIA SALENTINA
- 1Department of Biology, University Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
Abstract
Grecia Salentina (GS) is the label assigned to a geographic area in Southern Italy where a Greek dialect has historically been spoken. The origins of this Greek-speaking community, whether dating from ancient or Medieval settlement, are a controversial and essentially unsolved issue. To evaluate which historical-linguistic scenario is best supported on genomic grounds, we used whole genome sequencing of 27 GS natives and 21 controls, embedding them in a 799 modern samples dataset in which Greece and Anatolia were evenly represented, an uncommon feature in the genomic literature on the area. We considered different aspects of the genetic structuring, at different spatial and temporal scales. Analyses also included 4021 ancient samples from the literature. All analyses pointed to the same conclusion: the GS genomic profile displays the same characteristic features of the rest of Southern Italy, with no definite evidence for a single source population from outside Italy. Correspondingly, we detected strong genetic connectivity among GS municipalities and between GS and the rest of Italy. Only a subset of our analyses suggested a slightly increased affinity of GS with Greece, or with the Anatolian peninsula. These results indicate that GS has been all but a genetically closed community, and that the Greek language did not act as a barrier to gene flow. By endorsing a ''transient mobility model'' we support the most recent linguistic hypothesis: the prolonged resilience of the Greek language in GS, maintained in situ and periodically rejuvenated through recurrent external inputs from the Greek and Byzantine worlds.
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BibTeX
@misc{cangialosi2026layered,
title = {{LAYERED GENOMIC COMPOSITION AND LINGUISTIC CONTINUITY IN GRECIA SALENTINA}},
author = {G. Cangialosi and M. Guli and F. Menato and G. Pepe and E. Mercuri and F. Zangaro and C. Jodice and F. Cruciani and B. Trombetta and M. Helmer-Citterich and N. Akar and C. Guardiano and G. Longobardi and V. Specchia and O. Semino and E. D'Atanasio and A. Novelletto},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.16.751136},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.16.751136v1},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - LAYERED GENOMIC COMPOSITION AND LINGUISTIC CONTINUITY IN GRECIA SALENTINA
AU - G. Cangialosi
AU - M. Guli
AU - F. Menato
AU - G. Pepe
AU - E. Mercuri
AU - F. Zangaro
AU - C. Jodice
AU - F. Cruciani
AU - B. Trombetta
AU - M. Helmer-Citterich
AU - N. Akar
AU - C. Guardiano
AU - G. Longobardi
AU - V. Specchia
AU - O. Semino
AU - E. D'Atanasio
AU - A. Novelletto
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/16
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.16.751136
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.16.751136v1
AB - Grecia Salentina (GS) is the label assigned to a geographic area in Southern Italy where a Greek dialect has historically been spoken. The origins of this Greek-speaking community, whether dating from ancient or Medieval settlement, are a controversial and essentially unsolved issue. To evaluate which historical-linguistic scenario is best supported on genomic grounds, we used whole genome sequencing of 27 GS natives and 21 controls, embedding them in a 799 modern samples dataset in which Greece and Anatolia were evenly represented, an uncommon feature in the genomic literature on the area. We considered different aspects of the genetic structuring, at different spatial and temporal scales. Analyses also included 4021 ancient samples from the literature. All analyses pointed to the same conclusion: the GS genomic profile displays the same characteristic features of the rest of Southern Italy, with no definite evidence for a single source population from outside Italy. Correspondingly, we detected strong genetic connectivity among GS municipalities and between GS and the rest of Italy. Only a subset of our analyses suggested a slightly increased affinity of GS with Greece, or with the Anatolian peninsula. These results indicate that GS has been all but a genetically closed community, and that the Greek language did not act as a barrier to gene flow. By endorsing a ''transient mobility model'' we support the most recent linguistic hypothesis: the prolonged resilience of the Greek language in GS, maintained in situ and periodically rejuvenated through recurrent external inputs from the Greek and Byzantine worlds.
ER -