🇮🇹 Picenes on the Adriatic had more Steppe ancestry

Ancient DNA from Picene cemeteries shows they were broadly similar to other Italic Iron Age peoples, but those on the Adriatic side (Picenes, Apulia) carried more Yamnaya/Steppe-related ancestry than groups on the Tyrrhenian side (Etruscans, early Romans).

The pattern fits steady contacts across the Adriatic and a slightly different path of Bronze–Iron Age gene flow into central Italy. Individual outliers reveal links to the Eastern Mediterranean and Central/Northern Europe, highlighting high mobility.

In Late Antiquity, nearby burials shift strongly toward Near Eastern–related ancestry, matching the demographic pull of the Roman Empire.

Takeaway: Central Italy’s Iron Age shared a common base, but the Adriatic corridor brought in extra Steppe ancestry and more Balkan connections — later reshaped by Imperial-era Near Eastern influx.

Source: Ravasini et al., 2024. The Genomic portrait of the Picene culture: new insights into the Italic Iron Age and the legacy of the Roman expansion in Central Italy.