Abstract
BackgroundThe archeological record indicates that the permanent settlement of Cyprus began with pioneering agriculturalists circa 11,000 years before present, (ca. 11,000 y BP). Subsequent colonization events followed, some recognized regionally. Here, we assess the Y-chromosome structure of Cyprus in context to regional populations and correlate it to phases of prehistoric colonization.ResultsAnalysis of haplotypes from 574 samples showed that island-wide substructure was barely significant in a spatial analysis of molecular variance (SAMOVA). However, analyses of molecular variance (AMOVA) of haplogroups using 92 binary markers genotyped in 629 Cypriots revealed that the proportion of variance among the districts was irregularly distributed. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed potential genetic associations of Greek-Cypriots with neighbor populations. Contrasting haplogroups in the PCA were used as surrogates of parental populations. Admixture analyses suggested that the majority of G2a-P15 and R1b-M269 components were contributed by Anatolia and Levant sources, respectively, while Greece Balkans supplied the majority of E-V13 and J2a-M67. Haplotype-based expansion times were at historical levels suggestive of recent demography.ConclusionsAnalyses of Cypriot haplogroup data are consistent with two stages of prehistoric settlement. E-V13 and E-M34 are widespread, and PCA suggests sourcing them to the Balkans and Levant/Anatolia, respectively. The persistent pre-Greek component is represented by elements of G2-U5(xL30) haplogroups: U5*, PF3147, and L293. J2b-M205 may contribute also to the pre-Greek strata. The majority of R1b-Z2105 lineages occur in both the westernmost and easternmost districts. Distinctively, sub-haplogroup R1b- M589 occurs only in the east. The absence of R1b- M589 lineages in Crete and the Balkans and the presence in Asia Minor are compatible with Late Bronze Age influences from Anatolia rather than from Mycenaean Greeks.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13323-016-0032-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
The archeological record indicates that the permanent settlement of Cyprus began with pioneering agriculturalists circa 11,000 years before present
The presence of human activity commenced 13,000 years ago when Mesolithic hunter-gatherers appear in the archeological record [4] followed by colonists associated with Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA, 11,000– 10,400 years before present (y BP)) and B (PPNB, 10,500– 8800 y BP) traditions, respectively [4,5,6]
North Cyprus has been occupied by Turkey since 1974, the northern samples shown in Additional file 2: Figure S1 reflect displaced Greek-Cypriot donors currently living in southern Cyprus but whose familial paternal ancestral heritage traces to the north
Summary
The archeological record indicates that the permanent settlement of Cyprus began with pioneering agriculturalists circa 11,000 years before present, (ca. 11,000 y BP). 100 km from the northern Levant and Anatolia Evidence from both site excavations and genetics support it being a threshold from which maritime colonists commenced entry to the Mediterranean basin and southeast Europe [1,2,3] as well as a recipient of different cultural traditions reflecting subsequent human migratory events. The Late Bronze Age settlements reflected maritime commerce in the Eastern Mediterranean and are concentrated in the East/Northeast regions of Cyprus. This was followed by widespread societal collapse throughout the eastern Mediterranean 3200 years ago [8] and recoveries associated with the Assyrian, Phoenician, Hellenistic, Roman, and Ottoman periods [9]
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