The Italic Iron Age is characterized by the presence of various ethnic groups partially examined from a genomic perspective. To explore the evolution of Iron Age Italic populations and the genetic impact of Romanization, we focus on the Picenes, one of the most fascinating pre-Roman civilizations, who flourished on the Middle Adriatic side of Central Italy between the 9th and the 3rd century BCE, until the Roman colonization. More than 50 samples are reported, spanning more than 1000 years of history from the Iron Age to Late Antiquity. Despite cultural diversity, our analysis reveals no major differences between the Picenes and other coeval populations, suggesting a shared genetic history of the Central Italian Iron Age ethnic groups. Nevertheless, a slight genetic differentiation between populations along the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian coasts can be observed, possibly due to different population dynamics in the two sides of Italy and/or genetic contacts across the Adriatic Sea. Additionally, we identify several individuals with ancestries deviating from their general population. Lastly, in our Late Antiquity site, we observe a drastic change in the genetic landscape of the Middle Adriatic region, indicating a relevant influx from the Near East, possibly as a consequence of Romanization. Our findings, consistently with archeological hypotheses, suggest genetic interactions across the Adriatic Sea during the Bronze/Iron Age and a high level of individual mobility typical of cosmopolitan societies. Finally, we highlight the role of the Roman Empire in shaping genetic and phenotypic changes that greatly impact the Italian peninsula.

中文翻译：

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Picene 文化的基因组画像为意大利铁器时代和罗马帝国在意大利中部的遗产提供了新的见解


意大利铁器时代的特点是存在各种种族群体，从基因组学的角度进行了部分检查。为了探索铁器时代意大利人人口的进化和罗马化的遗传影响，我们关注皮切内斯人，这是最迷人的前罗马文明之一，他们在公元前 9 世纪至 3 世纪之间在意大利中部的亚得里亚海中部蓬勃发展，直到罗马殖民。据报道，样本数量超过 50 个，跨越了从铁器时代到古代晚期的 1000 多年历史。尽管存在文化多样性，但我们的分析显示 Picenes 和其他同时代人群之间没有重大差异，这表明意大利中部铁器时代民族群体具有共同的遗传历史。尽管如此，可以观察到亚得里亚海和第勒尼安沿岸人群之间的轻微遗传分化，这可能是由于意大利两侧的人口动态不同和/或亚得里亚海的遗传接触。此外，我们还确定了几个血统与一般人群不同的个体。最后，在我们的古代晚期遗址中，我们观察到亚得里亚海中部地区的遗传景观发生了巨大变化，这表明来自近东的相关涌入可能是罗马化的结果。我们的研究结果与考古学假设一致，表明青铜/铁器时代亚得里亚海的遗传相互作用以及国际大都市社会典型的高度个人流动性。最后，我们强调了罗马帝国在塑造对意大利半岛产生重大影响的遗传和表型变化中的作用。