Is Crete African?
Is Crete African?
Crete forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece, while retaining its own local cultural traits (such as its own poetry and music)….Administration.
| Crete Region Περιφέρεια Κρήτης | |
|---|---|
| Country | Greece |
| Established | 1912 |
| Capital | Heraklion |
| Regional units | hide List Chania Heraklion Rethymno Lasithi |
What type of government did Crete have?
Their system of government was that of a monarchy supported by a well-organized bureaucracy. According to myth, a King Minos, living in a palace with more than a thousand rooms, once ruled the island of Crete. In 1900 such a palace was discovered, excavated and partially restored by British archaeologist Arthur Evans.
Who are the Greeks descendants of?
Mycenaeans
Modern Greeks, in turn, are largely descendants of the Mycenaeans, the study found. The discovery of the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations on the island of Crete and on mainland Greece in the late 1800s gave birth to modern archaeology and opened a direct window into the European Bronze Age.
What can population genetics tell us about the history of Crete?
The study of ancient mtDNA from Crete identified high genetic affinity of the ancient Cretans with modern Cretans and Neolithic Europeans (Hughey et al., 2013 ). Here we ask whether population genetics can help provide insights on the impact of various historical events on the genetic structure of the population of Crete.
What race is the ancient Minoan DNA most similar to?
The ancient Minoan DNA was most similar to populations from western and northern Europe. The population showed particular genetic affinities with Bronze Age populations from Sardinia and Iberia and Neolithic samples from Scandinavia and France.
What do we know about Y-chromosome diversity among the Cretans?
The earliest studies on Y DNA had shown considerable heterogeneity between the Cretans (Di Giacomo et al., 2003; Malaspina et al., 2001 ), with later studies correlating haplotypes from various areas of Crete with Balkan, Italian, Anatolian, or even paleolithic populations (King et al., 2008; Martinez et al., 2007; Voskarides et al., 2016 ).
How did the Minoans get to Crete?
DNA reveals origin of Greece’s ancient Minoan culture. Evans was of the opinion that the real-life Bronze Age culture on Crete must have its origins elsewhere. And so, he suggested that the Minoans were refugees from Egypt’s Nile delta, fleeing the region’s conquest by a southern king some 5,000 years ago.