Cyprus Mail 11 March 2025 - by Rebekah Gregoriades
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| Busts of ancient Greek philosophers: at best, Cypriot men are 30 per cent of Greek descent |
At best, Cypriot men are 30 per cent of Greek descent, a study constructing the DNA reference of Cypriots has so far shown.
This indicates the island’s population has more genetic similarities with populations of mixed origins brought to Cyprus down through the centuries.
According to history and archaeology, the first inhabitants of Cyprus came from neighbouring countries up to 12,000 years ago, long before the Greeks or Turks appeared.
Researcher Constantinos Deltas, head of Biobank.cy at the University of Cyprus, said this was the first time the DNA reference of Cypriots was being constructed and that new information regarding genetic heritage was being produced and the pathological genetic load on a population level was being evaluated.
Deltas told the Cyprus News Agency that the study would be reaching useful conclusions, to be announced soon, and that so far the genome of 1,400 Cypriots had been analysed and another 1,500 samples were to follow, with the next milestone being 5,000 samples.
The professor said it was difficult to say to which extent the Greek DNA imprint was present in the Cypriot population.
Recent studies, he said, verified history and archaeology regarding the origins of the first Cypriots, however “the study among Cypriot men – analysing the Y chromosome – showed that indices related to the Greek line of origin were between 10 and 30 per cent at best.”
The most significant achievement so far was the archiving of almost 11,000 Cypriot volunteers with extensive information regarding personal, demographic and clinical data, Deltas said.
“This is data accompanied by biological material and of course a signed document of consent. A large part of the data and the material is utilised and studied in the context of research projects,” he added.
The study is expected to provide further insight into hereditary diseases, such as kidney, heart and eye diseases.
Deltas said analyses found variations in the DNA “identical to those of many other populations and in similar frequencies, which indicates – if not proves – the worldwide migration and mixing of populations through the long history of man.”
“At the same time, however, they find many differences, which may be due to phenomena such as genetic deviation and the existence of establishing phenomena, as well as the previous restricted movement of the residence of Cyprus,” he said.
Deltas explained that “all this is recorded in our DNA and we hope that we will soon be able to correspond such genetic findings with specific phenotypes, namely diseases.”
Over the past few years, a genetic heterogeny has been found among dozens of families with hereditary heart disease, along with the identification of many variations in mainly European populations, Deltas said.
The researcher also spoke about Cyprome, the excellency centre project for the detailed genetic investigation of the DNA of Cypriots.
“We are referring to the sequencing-reading of the part of DNA that codes for all the proteins of the human body and constitutes a relatively small part of all DNA but represents the very large percentage responsible for most hereditary diseases, as well as for diseases that do not follow a clear inheritance but have a large genetic component,” he added.
This approach bridges a big gap and is very useful in investigating diseases, he said.
According to history and archaeology, the first inhabitants of Cyprus came from neighbouring countries, namely Asia Minor, the Levantine, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel, up to 12,000 years ago, long before the Greeks or Turks appeared, Deltas said.
The population of Cypriots received many influences by repeated waves of conquerors or visitors. It is not ruled out that at times it was nearly wiped out, which favours phenomena of genetic deviation that can lead to the artificial increase of some genetic indices, he said.
Environmental factors, such as malaria, also played a part in the increase of mutations within the population, responsible for hemoglobinopathies, such as thalassemia and, to a lesser extent, sickle cell anaemia, Deltas added.
“This genetic advantage that protects against malaria selectively helped those Cypriots who bore the variations survive,” he said.
The frequency of individuals who are carriers of such variations-mutations in their DNA is till today one in seven among Greek Cypriots, Deltas said.
The Greek Mycenaeans and Achaeans came much later, during the 14th century BC, with peaceful intentions.
The superiority of the Greek civilisation was evident and prevailed over the next 100 to 200 years, and since then local Cypriots adopted the Greek culture, language and religion of the Dodecatheon – the pantheon of twelve gods under Zeus, Deltas said.
Deltas added that it was difficult to say to what percentage Cypriots were Greek.
The Mycenaeans arrived in Cyprus 3,500 years ago and Cyprus was already inhabited 8,000 years before that, he said.
Deltas said conquerors, apart from their culture and walled cities, left their genes behind as well.
