DNA Analysis Debunks Roman Empire's Influence on Balkan Ancestry

Study Reveals Significant Slavic Ancestry in Present-Day Balkans, Contradicting Theories of Italian Genetic Influence During Roman Empire's Reign

New DNA analysis of individuals who lived in the Balkans between 1 and 1000 CE found no genetic evidence of Iron Age Italian ancestry, debunking theories that the Roman Empire's influence resulted in a significant Italian population in the region.
Instead, the study revealed successive waves of migrations from Western Anatolia, central and northern Europe, and the Pontic-Kazakh Steppe during the Empire's reign.
From the 7th century CE onwards, coinciding with the fall of the Western Roman Empire, large numbers of people emigrated from Eastern Europe, likely related to the arrival of Slavic-speaking populations.
Present-day Balkan residents have 30%-60% Slavic ancestry, a genetic signal found all across the Balkans, indicating that these migrations had a profound demographic effect.
The researchers also found evidence of individual migrations into the Balkans from both within and outside the Roman Empire, including a 16-year-old male of 100% East African ancestry.