Genetic tests: Italians were from Turkey
DNA of men whose forebears probably were Etruscans show they weren't local, but migrated, study says
Genetic studies of Italians in Tuscany show that their forefathers, the ancient Etruscans, moved to Italy from what is now Turkey -- an origin that many archeologists have dismissed as unlikely.
The Etruscans, who emerged about 1200 BC, reached their zenith in the 6th century BC, dominating Italy and the Mediterranean area until being assimilated into the Roman Republic about 200 BC. They provided many of the cultural underpinnings of Roman society. They were skilled metallurgists and masterful seafarers, but their origin has been a source of dispute for at least 2,500 years.
The ancient Greek historian Herodotus asserted that they came from Turkey, then called Lydia, but subsequent historians and modern archeologists have dismissed his claim.
A new study by geneticist Alberto Piazza of the University of Turin presented Sunday at the European Society of Human Genetics in Nice, France, however, is the third this year, and the strongest to date, linking the Etruscans to Turkey.
"We think that our research provides convincing proof that Herodotus was right," Piazza said.
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