Modern Italians are genetically related to many Roman samples that have been analysed
From History Reddit and various sites
Y-chromosome data suggests that Italians of this era are closely related (in the south) to Greeks and southern Balkans populations, (the north) of Italy is more akin to western Europeans, and there are populations in the eastern areas of the peninsula which are genetically more related to western Balkans populations.
This very closely resembles what we know about the pre-Roman and Roman history of the peninsula, with Greeks colonizing the south, the northern Italians being closer to Gauls, and even some Balkanic Illyrian trbes living in the eastern parts of the peninsula.
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Ancient Italy was a diverse place. In addition to Latins there were Sabines, Samnites, Etruscans, Greeks, Celts, and Ligurians...all settled in different regions of what is now Italy. All of these peoples originally had their own customs and languages and only later adopted the language and customs of the Latins after Rome obtained hegemony over them through military force. Roman was never an ethnicity, it merely indicated citizenship to the city-state of Rome. The ethnicity of the original Romans would have been Latin, and perhaps Sabine as well, if there is any truth to some of the early foundation myths. Rome originally was just one of many Latin towns and cities, all independent from one another, and who frequently warred against each other.
As for the fall of the Roman Empire and the German migrations...
The Germanic warriors who migrated into Italy did not engage in wipe out the natives. They merely replaced the rulers. Nor did they arrive in numbers sufficient enough to radically alter the genetic makeup of Italy. It was not unlike the later Norman invasion of England.
You need only to look at Roman artwork from Pompeii to see that Italy wasn't depopulated and replaced with Germanic tribesmen. Except for the costumes and hairstyles, the people depicted in the paintings look just like modern Italians.
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Italians today have so much genetical make up changed over the course of centuries that to call modern Italians Romans would be absolutely false.
This is conjecture, and many make this mistake when talking about Egyptians in relation to ancient Egyptians. Both Italians and Egyptians are the closest population to their ancient counterparts. Assuming they got mega raped and diluted is silly
Once again, while that may be the case because of land of origin, you gotta understand that both of these nations underwent MAJOR genetical changes due to migrations and conquest.
Nope, it would be like an Albanian calling themselves Illyrian/Thracian and there would be nothing wrong with this. Genetically and linguistically, they are the descendants of these ancient Balkan populations, much like modern Italians are descendants of the Romans. We know Croatians and other Slavic peoples in the Balkans arrived sometime in the late iron age
Croatians arrived to Europe in 7-8th century and we either butchered remaining Illyrians or assimilated them as our own.
The movement of Croatian intellectuals in 17-18 century was called Illyrian Movement.
And I can tell you right away - we share nothing in common with Illyrians, not one Croatian would ever call himself Illyrian or say the came from Illyrians.
