In 480 BCE, on the northern coast of Sicily, Greek forces clashed with a Carthaginian army at the Battle of Himera. For centuries, this moment was remembered as a glorious Greek victory—one city-state standing firm against foreign invaders. But a recent breakthrough in ancient DNA analysis has added a surprising twist: the Greek army at Himera wasn’t just Greek.

A study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) revealed that many of the soldiers buried in mass graves near Himera carried genetic ancestry from far beyond the Greek world. Some had origins in the Caucasus, others from Northern Europe, the Balkans, or the Eurasian steppe—home of the Sarmatians.

This was not just a local militia. It was a multicultural fighting force, shaped by vast networks of trade, migration, and military alliances that stretched across continents.

Who Were These Soldiers?

Using Global25 genetic coordinates (a system that maps ancestry across 25 dimensions), researchers were able to identify outliers among the fallen warriors—individuals whose DNA pointed to distant regions:

 

The Caucasus Connection

One individual (I10951) matched genetic profiles typical of the Caucasus region—modern-day Armenia, Georgia, or Dagestan. This man could have come west via mercenary recruitment, Achaemenid political networks, or long-distance migration.

 

From the Forests of the North

Two individuals (I10943 and I10949) had ancestry aligned with Northern or Eastern Europe—closely related to Baltic or early Slavic populations. These men may have been adventurers, mercenaries, or descendants of earlier migrants absorbed into Sicilian society.

 

Riders of the Steppe: The Sarmatian Presence

Samples I10944 and I10947 showed strong genetic links to Sarmatian nomads, who roamed the Eurasian steppes north of the Caspian Sea. These expert horsemen were known for covering vast distances, and their presence in a Greek army in Sicily speaks volumes about the interconnectedness of ancient Eurasia.

Balkan Reinforcements

Two others (I10946 and I10950) were genetically similar to Balkan populations, such as those from Illyria or Thrace—regions with longstanding military and cultural ties to the Greek world.

Himera: A Greek City, A Global Crossroads

Himera was founded by Greeks, but it never existed in isolation. Sicily in the 5th century BCE was a melting pot, where Greeks, Carthaginians, Phoenicians, Etruscans, and native Sicilian peoples coexisted, traded, and often clashed.

The army that fought at Himera was not a pure Greek force—it was a coalition, perhaps paid, allied, or integrated through generations of movement and exchange. It reflects the complex reality of ancient Mediterranean societies, where borders were porous and identities flexible.

Scientific Source

This article is based on the following peer-reviewed study:
Antonio, M. L., et al. (2022). "Ancient DNA reveals admixture history and endogamy in the prehistoric Aegean." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(39), e2205272119.
Link to the study