How close genetically are Italian people and Jewish people? (black, German, Greek)

[Thatonekidontheinternet]

Just wondering

[virulentpeach]

Southern Italians, especially Sicilians, are genetically very similar to Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews. This could be partly due to that many European Jews have ancestors that lived in central-southern Italy during the Roman Empire (who then moved north), and partly due to that there is also minor amounts of Levantine ancestry in southern Italy dating to Phoenicians, Carthaginians, and also the Neolithic expansion out of the Near East.

Maltese and Cypriots are also close to them too.

[Thatonekidontheinternet]

Originally Posted by virulentpeach

Southern Italians, especially Sicilians, are genetically very similar to Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews. This could be partly due to that many European Jews have ancestors that lived in central-southern Italy during the Roman Empire (who then moved north), and partly due to that there is also minor amounts of Levantine ancestry in southern Italy dating to Phoenicians, Carthaginians, and also the Neolithic expansion out of the Near East.

Maltese and Cypriots are also close to them too.

What about northern italians?

[viribusunitis]

Seriously, I never understood what's the "Jewish look". I mean, I saw some Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn who looked a hell of lot more German than I do...

But as far as northern Italians are concerned: It depends. If you are referring to South Tyroleans, they pretty much look like Austrians. If you refer to Milanese or some other "ethnic Italians from the North", yeah, they sure can pass as Jewish. But so can pretty much everyone else from Central Europe.

[virulentpeach]

Originally Posted by Thatonekidontheinternet

What about northern italians?

Not as much. Northern Italians, being closer to Central Europe, have admixture with groups that lived there in ancient times; Celts, Germanic tribes etc.

But all Italians have Neolithic West Asian admixture that is prehistoric, it just becomes a greater amount as you go south.

[Thatonekidontheinternet]

Originally Posted by virulentpeach

Not as much. Northern Italians, being closer to Central Europe, have admixture with groups that lived there in ancient times; Celts, Germanic tribes etc.

But all Italians have Neolithic West Asian admixture that is prehistoric, it just becomes a greater amount as you go south.

Neolithic ancestry from what part of west Asia? And even the ones from the far north?

[NJ Brazen_3133]

Jewish people are a mediterranean people like Greek, North African, Egyptians, if you can group them together like that.

But I not think they are any closer to Italians specifically, than they are to Greeks or Egyptians.

[virulentpeach]

Originally Posted by NJ Brazen_3133

Jewish people are a mediterranean people like Greek, North African, Egyptians, if you can group them together like that.

But I not think they are any closer to Italians specifically, than they are to Greeks or Egyptians.

Southern Italians, some Greeks, and Jews are all similar. Many Greeks are genetically as much Balkan as Mediterranean.

Egyptians have black admixture.

[The Postman]

Jews tend to be sorta similar to where they came from. So Russian Jews will look different from German Jews and Italian Jews. Rome has the oldest Jewish continuous Jewish community in Europe.

[other99]

Originally Posted by The Postman

Jews tend to be sorta similar to where they came from. So Russian Jews will look different from German Jews and Italian Jews. Rome has the oldest Jewish continuous Jewish community in Europe.

Jews usually (not always the case) have different facial features than the natives of the countries where they live in Europe. Ashkenazi Jews tend to be a bit lighter in skin tone than Sephardi Jews.