Stentinello of North Sicily

Beneath the limestone cliffs of northwestern Sicily, Grotta dell’Uzzo preserves the slow dawn of the island’s Neolithic world. Archaeological layers dated to ca. 5380–5210 BCE associate with the local expression of the Stentinello cultural horizon: decorated pottery, coastal resource exploitation, and new farming implements. Material culture suggests contact and similarity with other early Sicilian and central Mediterranean Neolithic communities.

Genetically, these people appear within the sweep of the early European farmer expansion that reaches into Sicily from the central Mediterranean and possibly via maritime routes from southern Italy and the Italian peninsula. Archaeological evidence indicates the introduction of domesticated cereals, caprines, and distinctive Stentinello-style ceramics, while shell middens and fish remains show continued reliance on marine resources — a mixed economy evocatively balanced between sea and newly cultivated fields.

Limited evidence suggests this phase was one of cultural blending: incoming farmer lifeways layered onto long-standing coastal subsistence strategies. At Grotta dell’Uzzo the sequence is tangible in hearths, potsherds, and burial treatments; archaeologists read these as signs of an emergent, regionally distinct Neolithic rooted in broader Mediterranean transformations. However, patterns remain provisional pending larger datasets and wider regional sampling.

Five genomic samples from Grotta dell’Uzzo dated to 5380–5210 BCE provide a preliminary glimpse into the genetic makeup of North Sicilian Stentinello people. The dataset is small (n=5), so conclusions are cautious: archaeologicalDNA indicates an affinity with early European farmer (EEF) ancestry commonly traced to Neolithic Anatolian-derived migrations into the Mediterranean. This is consistent with the archaeological presence of domesticated crops and Stentinello ceramics.

Y-chromosome data show H2 in one individual — a lineage occasionally observed among early farmers in Europe and potentially reflecting Anatolian or Balkan farmer-derived male ancestry, though H2 is rare and its distribution is not fully understood. Mitochondrial haplogroups include U (2), N (1), and J (1). Haplogroup U is often associated with earlier European hunter-gatherer populations but is also observed in Neolithic contexts; J and N are frequently found among early farmers, reflecting mixed maternal ancestries.

Archaeogenetic patterns suggest admixture between incoming farming groups and local hunter-gatherers, producing a mosaic genetic landscape. Given the low sample count (<10), these genetic signals should be treated as provisional: they hint at farmer-associated profiles with detectable local hunter-gatherer contributions rather than a simple population replacement.