Sicilian DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Italy · Southern Europe
Sicily sits in the middle of the Mediterranean, and its genetic profile records many arrivals over the millennia. In our model, the Sicilian average is 53.3% Anatolian Neolithic farmer and 24.0% steppe, with a notable eastern Mediterranean and Near Eastern signal: 11.5% Natufian, 7.9% Iranian Neolithic and 3.4% Caucasus hunter-gatherer. Ancient DNA shows that steppe-related ancestry reached Sicily during the Bronze Age, and the eastern Mediterranean share of southern Italy is linked to several movements across the sea, from the Bronze Age through Greek colonisation and the Roman period. The closest modern averages are Sicilian regional samples and Campanians from Naples, all around 0.020, with Calabrians close behind. The closest ancient matches are individuals with an East Mediterranean profile from Late Medieval Villa Magna and Imperial Rome, which fits southern Italy's strong links with the eastern Mediterranean.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Anatolian Neolithic farmers 53.3%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 24.0%, Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) 11.5%
- Closest modern population in our data: Italian (Sicily Central, Sicilian), distance 0.0193
- Closest ancient group in our data: Italy Lazio Late Medieval Villa Magna (East Med Profile), distance 0.0214
This page sums up what the DNA of the Sicilian sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Italy, listed in the G25 sheet as "Italian_Sicily_(Sicilian)", and it is one of 335 populations in our atlas. An average describes the group as a whole, not any single person in it.
Ancient make-up of the Sicilian average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Sicilian average, 53.3%, goes to Anatolian Neolithic farmers, ahead of Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (24.0%) and Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) (11.5%). The Anatolian Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC. The Steppe herders (Yamnaya) share (24.0%) reflects the Bronze Age herders of the Pontic-Caspian steppe (Yamnaya and related groups), whose ancestry spread across Europe and into Asia from about 3000 BC.
Smaller traces of Caucasus hunter-gatherers (under 5%) also appear. At that level they can reflect real minor ancestry, but also simple model noise, so they should not be over-read. The fit is acceptable (fit distance 0.029): treat the proportions as a good approximation rather than exact values. The model draws on West Eurasian ancient genomes, with modern West African and East Asian stand-ins.
Thalassa – Mediterranean Islander Report
Closest modern populations to Sicilian
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Sicilian average is Italian (Sicily Central, Sicilian), at a distance of 0.019 (very close). Next come Sicilian (East) at 0.021 and Italian (Sicily Syracuse, Sicilian) at 0.021. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Sicilian (East) (0.021), Campanian (Neapolitan) (0.022) and Calabrian (0.022). Even the tenth closest, Ashkenazi Jew (Austria), is only 0.026 away: Sicilian belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian (Sicily Central, Sicilian) | 0.0193 | Very close |
| 2 | Sicilian (East) | 0.0205 | Very close |
| 3 | Italian (Sicily Syracuse, Sicilian) | 0.0207 | Very close |
| 4 | Campanian (Neapolitan) | 0.0219 | Very close |
| 5 | Calabrian | 0.0224 | Very close |
| 6 | Maltese | 0.0237 | Very close |
| 7 | Ashkenazi Jew (Romania) | 0.0245 | Very close |
| 8 | Ashkenazi (Poland) | 0.0247 | Very close |
| 9 | Sicilian (West) | 0.0254 | Close |
| 10 | Ashkenazi Jew (Austria) | 0.0255 | Close |
Distances are Euclidean distances between averaged G25 coordinates. On our scale, below 0.025 is very close, below 0.050 close, below 0.080 moderate, and beyond that distant.
Closest ancient populations to Sicilian
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Sicilian average is Italy Lazio Late Medieval Villa Magna (East Med Profile) (Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD), at 0.021, followed by Italy Lazio Roman Empire Rome (East Med Profile) and Italy Lazio Late Antiquity San Ercolano (East Med Profile). That is a very close match, which suggests strong genetic continuity between those ancient people (or close relatives of theirs) and the modern population. A close ancient match is not proof of direct descent: it means those individuals carried a similar overall mix of ancestry.
| # | Ancient sample or group | Period | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy Lazio Late Medieval Villa Magna (East Med Profile) | Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD | 0.0214 |
| 2 | Italy Lazio Roman Empire Rome (East Med Profile) | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.0234 |
| 3 | Italy Lazio Late Antiquity San Ercolano (East Med Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0238 |
| 4 | Croatia Late Antiquity Hvar Radosevic (East Med Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0240 |
| 5 | Italy Basilicata Early Medieval Venosa (East Med Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0241 |
| 6 | Italy Apulia High Medieval Foggia (East Med Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0249 |
| 7 | Italy Marche Roman Empire Urbino Bivio (East Med Profile) | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.0253 |
| 8 | Belgium Late Medieval-Early Modern Holy Roman Empire St. Rombout's (East Med Profile) | Late Medieval to Early Modern, c. 1300-1800 AD | 0.0254 |
| 9 | Italy Piedmont Early Medieval Lombard Period Collegno (East Med Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0255 |
| 10 | Croatia Early Medieval Old Croat Velim (East Med Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0261 |
Ancient DNA from Italy
Our ancient DNA database holds 1,616 individuals excavated in present-day Italy, dated from about 37,855 BC to 1750 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R1b (216), G2a (154) and I2a (59), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are T2 (156), H1 (128) and U5 (121). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Sicilian population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Italy
- LAYERED GENOMIC COMPOSITION AND LINGUISTIC CONTINUITY IN GRECÌA SALENTINA (2026)
- From prehistory to present-day: How isolation shaped the distinct genomic makeup of Italian Alpine valleys (2026)
- DNA signatures preserved in the official 1978 sample collection of the Shroud of Turin (2026)
- Ancient DNA analyses of remains of the Medici family (16th century) provide insights into the genetic variation of Plasmodium falciparum (2026)
- The Etruscans of Felsina: Reconstruction of the Genetic Profile and Biological Connections with Italic and Transalpine Populations from the Villanovan Period to the Roman period. (2026)
- DNA Traces on the Shroud of Turin: Metagenomics of the 1978 Official Sample Collection (2026)
- Ancient genomes from the siege and destruction of Middle Bronze Age Roca Vecchia (Apulia, Italy) shed light on Aegean contacts and conflicts (2025)
- The shifting dynamics of ancestry and culture at a post-Roman crossroads (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 1,616 from Italy.
Compare yourself with Sicilian
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Sicilian average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Sicilian and its neighbours. To find out which of our reports actually fits your DNA, run the free Report Finder: it runs the same fit test that every report uses before an order.
No G25 coordinates yet? Get a free simulated G25 from your raw DNA file, or order G25 coordinates.
About these numbers
A word of caution: these figures describe the average of the Sicilian individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Sicilian. Individuals vary around that average, and identity is about history, language and family, not about a genetic score. Read this page as a map of deep ancestry, not as a definition.
Method: averaged G25 coordinates, Euclidean distances to other modern and ancient averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations (data generated 2026-10-01). Read the full method.
Go deeper than the average
This page describes the Sicilian average. Your own DNA has its own story: Thalassa – Mediterranean Islander Report (15€) models your genome against the ancient sources and modern communities of the region, era by era, in a personal PDF report.
A report built for people of Mediterranean-island ancestry: ancient regional core (Minoan, Mycenaean, Nuragic Sardinian, Phoenician, Sicani, Daunian) versus non-regional outside admixture, across 9 communities (Sicilian, Sardinian, Maltese...
More populations from Southern Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Sicilian?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Sicilian average is about 53.3% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 24.0% Steppe herders (Yamnaya) and 11.5% Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Sicilian?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Italian (Sicily Central, Sicilian)), the closest modern populations to the Sicilian average are Sicilian (East), Campanian (Neapolitan) and Calabrian. The closest ancient matches are Italy Lazio Late Medieval Villa Magna (East Med Profile), Italy Lazio Roman Empire Rome (East Med Profile) and Italy Lazio Late Antiquity San Ercolano (East Med Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Sicilian?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Sicilian average and to its neighbours. If you have G25 coordinates, paste them in the comparison box on this page to check that for free.
Which ExploreYourDNA report suits Sicilian ancestry?
For the Sicilian average, the regional report to choose is Thalassa – Mediterranean Islander Report, which our fit test rates as a good match. Your own DNA may differ from the average, so the free Report Finder checks every report against your file before you buy.
Where does the data on this page come from?
From the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the sampled individuals: genetic distances to other modern and ancient population averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations. The full method is described at https://www.exploreyourdna.com/populations#method.