2006/05/31 by Elena Bosch, Francesc Calafell, Anna González‐Neira +10 · 20 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Environmental Science · #Forensic and Genetic Research #Genetic diversity and population structure #Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology #Haplogroup #Biology #Haplotype #Geography #Evolutionary biology #Mitochondrial DNA #Genealogy #Genetics #History #Allele #Gene
paper · doi:10.1111/j.1469-1809.2005.00251.x
openalex publication_date 2006/05/31 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
The Balkan Peninsula is a complex cultural mosaic comprising populations speaking languages from several branches of the Indo-European family and Altaic, as well as culturally-defined minorities such as the Aromuns who speak a Romance language. The current cultural and linguistic landscape is a palimpsest in which different peoples have contributed their cultures in a historical succession. We have sought to find any evidence of genetic stratification related to those cultural layers by typing both mtDNA and Y chromosomes, in Albanians, Romanians, Macedonians, Greeks, and five Aromun populations. We have paid special attention to the Aromuns, and sought to test genetically various hypotheses on their origins. MtDNA and Y-chromosome haplogroup frequencies in the Balkans were found to be similar to those elsewhere in Europe. MtDNA sequences and Y-chromosome STR haplotypes revealed decreased variation in some Aromun populations. Variation within Aromun populations was the primary source of genetic differentiation. Y-chromosome haplotypes tended to be shared across Aromuns, but not across non-Aromun populations. These results point to a possible common origin of the Aromuns, with drift acting to differentiate the separate Aromun communities. The homogeneity of Balkan populations prevented testing for the origin of the Aromuns, although a significant Roman contribution can be ruled out.