title: Origins and evolution of the Etruscans' mtDNA.
abstract: The Etruscan culture is documented in Etruria, Central Italy, from the 8(th) to the 1(st) century BC. For more than 2,000 years there has been disagreement on the Etruscans' biological origins, whether local or in Anatolia. Genetic affinities with both Tuscan and Anatolian populations have been reported, but so far all attempts have failed to fit the Etruscans' and modern populations in the same genealogy. We extracted and typed the hypervariable region of mitochondrial DNA of 14 individuals buried in two Etruscan necropoleis, analyzing them along with other Etruscan and Medieval samples, and 4,910 contemporary individuals from the Mediterranean basin. Comparing ancient (30 Etruscans, 27 Medieval individuals) and modern DNA sequences (370 Tuscans), with the results of millions of computer simulations, we show that the Etruscans can be considered ancestral, with a high degree of confidence, to the current inhabitants of Casentino and Volterra, but not to the general contemporary population of the former Etruscan homeland. By further considering two Anatolian samples (35 and 123 individuals) we could estimate that the genetic links between Tuscany and Anatolia date back to at least 5,000 years ago, strongly suggesting that the Etruscan culture developed locally, and not as an immediate consequence of immigration from the Eastern Mediterranean shores.
authors: Department of Biology and Evolution, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
authors: Silvia
authors: S
authors: Ghirotto
authors: Francesca
authors: F
authors: Tassi
authors: Erica
authors: E
authors: Fumagalli
authors: Vincenza
authors: V
authors: Colonna
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Sandionigi
authors: Martina
authors: M
authors: Lari
authors: Stefania
authors: S
authors: Vai
authors: Emmanuele
authors: E
authors: Petiti
authors: Giorgio
authors: G
authors: Corti
authors: Ermanno
authors: E
authors: Rizzi
authors: Gianluca
authors: G
authors: De Bellis
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Caramelli
authors: Guido
authors: G
authors: Barbujani
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000235:genetics*; D005789:Genealogy and Heraldry; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics*; D005828:Genetics, Population; D006239:Haplotypes / Q000235:genetics*; D049674:History, 21st Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D010802:Phylogeny
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial