Why Greek DNA Stayed Unchanged

Throughout millennia, Greece has weathered the rise and fall of empires—Roman legions, Byzantine splendor, and Ottoman rule—yet modern genetic studies reveal that Greeks remained remarkably connected to their ancient ancestors. How did they preserve such a profound legacy despite centuries of conquests and migrations?

In this video, we’ll dive into the genetic evidence that shows:

Why Roman occupation introduced only minimal changes to Greek heritage
How Byzantine policies and resettlements helped sustain Greek identity
Why Ottoman influence, while culturally significant, left only a light genetic footprint

Join us for a captivating look at how history, migration, and resilience shaped a population whose roots dig deep into the ancient world. If you’re curious about the power of DNA, or simply fascinated by Greece’s enduring cultural and biological tapestry, this is a journey you won’t want to miss.

Sources:
I. Lazaridis et al., Nature (2017) – “Genetic origins of the Minoans and Mycenaeans”​

E. Hirschman et al., Cell (2023) – “A genetic probe into the ancient and medieval history of Southern Europe and West Asia”​
​
G. Stamatoyannopoulos et al., Eur. J. Hum. Genet. (2017) – “Genetics of the Peloponnesean populations…”​
​

S. Tofanelli et al., Eur. J. Hum. Genet. (2016) – “The Greeks in the West: genetic signatures of Hellenic colonization in Sicily”​

M. Haber et al., Am. J. Hum. Genet. (2020) – “A genetic history of the Near East (Beirut DNA study)”​

Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
01:07 – Hunter-Gatherers
02:25 – Neolithic Roots: Farmers from Anatolia
04:42 – Bronze Age Civilizations: Minoans and Mycenaeans
07:10 – Classical Era and Greek Colonization
08:53 – Roman Era: Integration into a Multicultural Empire
10:19 – Byzantine and Medieval Period: Slavic Migrations
10:19 – Ottoman Rule: Eastern Influences and Minor Shifts
12:10 –Byzantine and Medieval Period: Slavic Migrations
14:28 – A rare genetic mutation in Crete
16:02 – Modern Greek DNA & Ancient Ancestry

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#AncientCivilizations
#GeneticStudies
#HistoricalAnalysis
#GreekHeritage
#RomanOccupation
#SlavicMigrations
#MedievalHistory
#ByzantineInfluence
#OttomanRule

[Sotilo]

400 years slaves, 4 Generations and Stil Christians, nobody can Touch the greeks, its the Respect and honour for the Heros and the History

[blackranger]

I am a Turk from Izmir (Smirna) and my DNA is 90% Greek

[RenaeKapsalis]

I'm 100% Greek, born and raised in Chicago. I have been to Greece several times. I LOVE my heritage. Δεν χάνω τον Ελληνισμό μου ποτέ. ❤

[paulturner]

The irony is, a significant chunk of Anatolia was part of the hellenic world for a very long time.

[Mfoukos]

Fun fact, in area called Lasithi plateau in Crete, they make dna to modern day people living there with ancient skeletons of minoans.. they are 98% similar to them

[tiyes]

My family is from West Türkiye and our DNA showed that we are mainly from 4 regions: Italy, Greece, Anatolia and Iran.

[basicinfo]

Millions of moderns day 'Turks and South Italians' are Greeks

[marinablotnick]

The greatest gift and honor that God has given me is to be Greek, Hellene.My ancestors have offered and given the best to humanity, not genocides....I am very proud of my country, my history, the strugles of my people to become free from centuries of barbaric subjugation....not loosing their identity, religion, history and language.A language which is unique, the oldest written and spoken in the world and which has provided words for other languages ....

[michaelgenias]

I love it when science proves everything we Hellenes knew from our forfathers and now confirm through DNA, thank you for this concise scientific proof to educate all who question our heritage and historical facts😊
I'm 93% aegean islander genetically

[captaingreek]

This video should be taught in schools in Greece and Turkey.

[heleng]

Magna Grecia ! Mother of them all . Untouchable to eternity ♥

[aussie_koala]

Winston Churchill said: we will not say Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks

[BeradetteLV]

Im Puerto Rican, and I have ancient Greek DNA. Balkan, Levant.

[thecriticalnous]

I’m from Mani. Descendants of Spartans

[yllejord]

There is nothing remarkable here. People stay in their home village, till the earth, wash their clothes, make their pottery and have children, generation in - generation out. Empires come and go but the people remain. Some emigrate, others come in, but the people remain.
Unless something extreme, cataclysmic, happen, a population is going to continue as it always had.
Is this so hard to grasp?

[rodizio]

The first link to ancient Greeks is the language. To speak uninterrupted the same language in the same place for 1000s of years. Not only the language itself but countless of proverbs and idioms are part of everyday Greek that the ancient Greeks used as well. The never-ending struggle identifying as Greeks against the many xenos/ barbarian oppressors and occupiers testifies to a continuity. DNA now confirms what we always believed and knew.

[tmbow]

There are some strange comments here in the comments concerning Anatolia.   The Turks who brought Turkish language began settling massively in Anatolia at the end of 11th century AD. They absorbed peoples who spoke Greek, Armenian and other languages. But those peoples who spoke Greek or Armenian had part of their Roots in Anatolia. Anatolia was also the home of the Greeks until the 20th century. They were not foreigners there. They did not take it to anyone they had their Roots there.

[christheodoropoulos]

I don’t have to check my DNA I’m 100%Greek i feel it in my blood

[rafaellagaribaldi]

Now, ancient DNA reveals that living Greeks are indeed the descendants of Mycenaeans, with only a small proportion of DNA from later migrations to Greece. And the Mycenaeans themselves were closely related to the earlier Minoans, the study reveals, another great civilization that flourished on the island of Crete from 2600 B.C.E. to 1400 B.C.E. (named for the mythical King Minos).
Ever since the days of Homer, Greeks have long idealized their Mycenaean “ancestors” in epic poems and classic tragedies that glorify the exploits of Odysseus, King Agamemnon, and other heroes who went in and out of favor with the Greek gods. Although these Mycenaeans were mythical, scholars have debated whether today’s Greeks descend from the actual Mycenaeans, who created a famous civilization that dominated mainland Greece and the Aegean Sea from about 1600 B.C.E. to 1200 B.C.E., or whether the ancient Mycenaeans simply vanished from the region.

[footballbettingmentor]

I have travelled extensively in my life. Outside Greece you can find large populations of genetically Greek people in Southern Italy, Turkey, the Near East, and South of the Danube River. Cities such us Marseille, Naples, Palermo, Messina, Catania, Syracusa, Reggio Calabria, Taranto, Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara, Trabzon, Antalya, Iskederun, Latakia(Syria), Tripoli (Lebanon), Alexandria (Egypt), Plovdiv (Bulgaria), Constanca (Romania), Tiraspol (Moldova), Durres (Albania) and many many more cities were founded and populated by the Greeks. Their descendants didn't disappear. They were simply conquered, and after a few generations started speaking the languages and adopting the religions of their conquerors. Some of them even attacked Greece: genetically greek Bulgarians in 1912, genetically greek Southern Italians/Bulgarians/Albanians in 1940, genetically greek Turks in 1974. Because brainwashing is more important than DNA. It doesn't matter if you see a greek face in your mirror, or your DNA test shows that you are more than 50% Greek + "Italian". What matters unfortunately is what they have told you at society. Most people prefer to continue living in a lie, than accepting an unsettling truth.