Discussion Part IV

Were not most of the slaves bought and sold brought into the Italian peninsula, and to Rome specifically?--since this was the capital and heart of the Empire? Yes, they didn't all come from North Africa and the Near East, but a large part did. If there were a land bridge between Sicily and Tunisia (actually at one time there was) would you acknowledge gene flow from North Africa? Boats were in use for thousands of years--so why it is so inconceivable that there were migrations from the southern shores of the Mediterranean? Why wouldn't North Africans settle in Italy, as the Normans did? You're so quick to acknowledge gene flow from the north of Italy, but not from the south. In your history book, it seems that migrations only occur in a southerly direction.

If you've ever seen the Duomo (Cathedral) of Amalfi, you would see stark examples of Islamic influence, and this is just one example. I never stated that ALL Italians have ancestry from N. Africa/M. East, but I believe that MOST do have SOME. The port cities of the Italian coast did much commerce with all parts of the Mediterranean, and port cities tend to be the most diverse. Like you said, in the mountains you'll find the more ancient elements of Italian DNA structure. I was born in a large and ancient port city (Naples, as I said) and trace all my ancestors back 4 generations all within Campania. (Going back several hundred or thousand years, none of us can be sure of what we'll find in our family tree). I'm one of those dark Italians with light brown (olive skin) and could easily get confused with being Middle Eastern. I know why some Italians are born with swarthier skin, and why even the ones born with fairer skin have DNA markers for the darker trait. There is even documentation that Sub-Saharan Africans were seen in different periods throughout the Mediterranean world.