My goal is to keep this very simple. On censored Reddit forums and Quora, I see people claim Ashkenazim are approximately half European. When I question why Ashkenazim cluster with southern Italians on PCA/FST analysis, these claims are often dismissed as false modeling. The common explanation asserts that Ashkenazim’s paternal line is Judean while their maternal line contains Northern Italian, Tuscan, or Central/Eastern European admixture, which supposedly pulls Ashkenazim into the PCA/FST space of southern Italians.
I use Italkim Jews of southern Italy as a falsification test. They are direct ancestors of Ashkenazim. Historically, Italkim have lived in what is today southern Italy since Magna Graecia in pre-Roman times. They lack Northern Italian, Tuscan, Central European, or Eastern European admixture that could artificially shift them into the southern Italian PCA/FST space. Their ancestry comes from ancient Greek colonies and Roman populations in the region.
G25 Similarity Map: Italkim Position (Heatmap)
Below is the G25 Similarity Map Genetic Ancestry Analysis heatmap showing Italkim clustering:
Caption: Italkim Jews clustering with Southern Italian, Sicilian, and Greek populations reflecting ancient Greek and Roman ancestry
Description: This heatmap shows Italkim Jews clustering with Southern Italian, Sicilian, and Greek populations on the G25 Similarity Map. The pattern demonstrates ancestry from Magna Graecia Greek colonies and Roman populations in southern Italy. This confirms that their clustering is due to ancient Greek and Roman ancestry rather than Northern Italian, Tuscan, or Slavic admixture. This serves as a key falsification test for claims about Ashkenazim ancestry.
G25 PCA Plot Showing Southern Italian and Greek Clustering
Caption: Italkim Jews clustering on PCA with Southern Italian populations and Greek populations from Magna Graecia including Kos
Description: The PCA plot shows Italkim Jews positioned within the cluster of Southern Italian populations and overlapping with Greek populations historically connected to Magna Graecia, including Kos and other Dodecanese islands. This confirms their ancestry comes from ancient Greek and Roman populations in southern Italy, and Northern Italian, Tuscan, or Central/Eastern European admixture is not required to explain their clustering. This serves as a falsification test for claims about Ashkenazim ancestry.
Italkim Top 30 Closest Populations (FST)
| # | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maltese | 0.0239 |
| 2 | Italian Calabria | 0.0242 |
| 3 | Sicilian Central | 0.0264 |
| 4 | Italian Campania | 0.0273 |
| 5 | Italian Campania Naples (Campanian) | 0.0277 |
| 6 | Greek Dodecanese | 0.0289 |
| 7 | Sicilian East | 0.0290 |
| 8 | Sicilian Syracuse | 0.0291 |
| 9 | Sicilian | 0.0295 |
| 10 | Greek Crete Lasithi | 0.0303 |
| 11 | Greek Crete | 0.0305 |
| 12 | Sicilian Trapani | 0.0309 |
| 13 | Greek Dodecanese Kos | 0.0310 |
| 14 | Greek Kos | 0.0310 |
| 15 | Italian Calabria (Cosentian) | 0.0310 |
| 16 | Greek Cyprus | 0.0322 |
| 17 | Cypriot | 0.0326 |
| 18 | Italian Basilicata | 0.0326 |
| 19 | Italian Basilicata (Lucanian) | 0.0328 |
| 20 | Greek Crete Rethymno | 0.0331 |
| 21 | Italian Apulia | 0.0341 |
| 22 | Turkish Cyprus | 0.0342 |
| 23 | Greek Cyclades Amorgos | 0.0350 |
| 24 | Sicilian West | 0.0357 |
| 25 | Greek Euboea Central | 0.0365 |
| 26 | Italian Apulia (Apulian) | 0.0368 |
| 27 | Greek Crete Heraklion | 0.0381 |
| 28 | Greek Crete Chania | 0.0385 |
| 29 | Italian Campania Benevento (Campanian) | 0.0389 |
| 30 | Italian Campania Salerno (Campanian) | 0.0391 |
Conclusion: The Falsification Test That Never Happened
I want to be clear: this falsification test using Italkim Jews as direct ancestors of Ashkenazim has never been performed by narrative-driven posters claiming Ashkenazim cluster with southern Italians because of Northern Italian, Tuscan, Central European, or Slavic ancestry. Every attempt to explain Ashkenazim’s PCA/FST position outside of Greek and Roman ancestry in southern Italy ignores this direct test.
The evidence is clear: Italkim Jews of southern Italy, with no Northern Italian, Tuscan, Central European, or Eastern European admixture, cluster exactly where populations from southern Italy and Magna Graecia Greek colonies cluster. This confirms that the supposed artifact is not a factor. I see that what I am observing is real ancestral affinity.
Any argument claiming Northern Italian, Tuscan, or Central European ancestry is responsible for Ashkenazim clustering is contradicted by this falsification test. Italkim Jews are living proof that this test has never been conducted by slop-peddling, narrative-driven posters dominating Reddit, Quora, or Wikipedia discussions. The point is undeniable and must be hammered home: the falsification test exists, it has not been done, and all claims dismissing the southern Italian and Magna Graecia Greek signal in Ashkenazim are baseless.
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