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I had always wanted to try DNA genealogy testing to see what kind of results I would get. I just knew these results would show Italian blood in my veins with maybe a little Greek influence in there
somewhere. Little did I know that there would be a surprise in store for me once
the results were published. Also to my surprise, I discovered that there are
many companies out there that are focused on DNA testing for genealogy purposes. With
a little research, I settled on a company called Family Tree DNA because it appears to be the company that has tested the largest number
of people. I placed my order and a week or so later I got the testing kit
in the mail. This kit required me to use a little toothbrush looking thing to
rub on the inside of my cheek. Once this was done with two separate brushes,
I placed them in test tubes and mailed them back to Family Tree DNA.
I need to stop here and explain a little on what exactly was being tested. I chose a combination test. This consisted
of a 37 marker Y DNA test and a mtDNA plus test. The Y DNA test, according to
the Family Tree DNA site, “confirms parental linage and common ancestry in the male line”. In my case, this will trace from me, to my father, to my grandfather…and so on. This one is of most interest to me because it would delve into the genetics, through my grandfather,
on my Italian side. The 37 marker part means that if I match all 37 DNA markers
with another male, we probably had a common ancestor in recent times. The mtDNA
test looks at the maternal line. This means from me, to my mother, to my grandmother. In order for us to determine the genetic origins of my grandmother (Marietta
Rota), one of the female members of my family would have to get tested. Women
can only get the mtDNA test, and men can get both Y DNA and mtDNA because they carry both chromosomes. Now, on to the results of my test.
As I said in the first paragraph, I assumed the results would clearly show Italian heritage or possibly Greek. To my surprise, the results show a North African origin. Specifically, the DNA test shows that all descendents of Antonio Agazio originated from Berber tribes located
in Northwest Africa. To quote the Family Tree DNA website: “[this Y DNA result] is most common in
northwestern Africa, is found at very low frequency in eastern Africa, and has not been detected in Sub-Saharan Africa. It
is found in the same regions as the Berber-speaking populations and is estimated to be approximately 5,600 years old.” Click the following link to read a brief Berber history:
I was surprised
when I first saw, and understood, these results. However, after reading about
all the historical influences in southern Italy over the centuries it makes more sense. Some of the books advertised on the "Great Books" link give a good overview of these influences. There are a number of possible ways Berber DNA got into my families blood, however
I think the most likely possibility centers around the Arab conquest of Spain. As with Hannibal and the Romans before them, the Arab
armies used Berber tribesmen as they swept through North Africa and into Spain
and Sicily during the 8th and 9th
centuries. After the Muslims were pushed out of Spain
and Sicily following about 250 years of occupation, the Spanish, through the Normans, ruled both Sicily and southern Italy until the middle of the 1800’s.
It is also possible that my family has Islamic ancestors.
This all begins to make sense because when I looked at the matches, or near matches, on the Family Tree DNA website,
all had Spanish or Arabic sounding names. As of yet, I have found no matches
with Italian sounding names. According to the website, I have about seven 25
marker matches. Family Tree DNA predicts that the probability that I have a common
ancestor with these seven people within 24 generations is 99.66%. The website
defines a generation as between 20-27 years. If I use the larger number and multiple
by 24, this common ancestor lived 648 years ago – around the year 1358. I
haven’t written to these people, but will soon.
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