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Were the Minoans in mainland Greece?

The Mycenaean of the Mycenaean civilisation in the early Bronze age shared 80% of their DNA with the Minoans who were based in Crete. I find it hard to believe that 80% of DNA of overlap comes from conquest only, so is it possible the Minoans had communities in mainland Greece as well?

Answer*

## Western Eurasian Genetics are Very Homogeneous ##

Two big population migrations happened in Neolithic and Early Bronze Age in Eurasia:
1) around 7,000 BC, groups of [early farmers][1] spread out from Anatolia and the Levant to Europe, the Middle East, and Northern India
2) around 3,000 BC, groups of early [horse herders][2] spread out from the Pontic Caspian Steppe to basically the same destinations

So every ancient European population is closely related to every other ancient European population because they were all strongly influenced by those two migrations.

Indeed, the Wikipedia [article][3] on Minoan civilization references a 2017 genetic study that compares Minoan and Mycenaean genetics, and finds both are dominated by early farmers ([EEF][1] and [PPN][4]) and the early herders ([CHG][5], [EHG][6], and [Iron Gates HG][7]).

There is basically no genetic trace of whoever lived in these parts of Greece prior to 7,000 BC by the time these civilizations rise.

Looking at the percentages from the wiki article, I would hypothesize that slightly different [migrations][8] brought the Indo-European horse herders to Crete and mainland Greece - and that the influx was larger in the mainland.

**So there's no need to invent extra conquests or postulate new undiscovered archeological sites. The genetics are similar because the ancestors are similar.**


  [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_European_Farmers
  [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Steppe_Herders
  [3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoan_civilization
  [4]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Pottery_Neolithic
  [5]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasus_hunter-gatherer
  [6]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_hunter-gatherer
  [7]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Gates_Mesolithic
  [8]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-European_migrations

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