About us
One Mazzilli line has been identified as having a YDNA Haplogroup of E3b indicating an East African origin, probably by way of Greece and the Near East.
One mtDNA lineage including Rosantonia Giordano (born circa 1750) has been determined to be H*. This specific motif (16184T, 16519C) has four matches to German lineages, two each from Great Britain and Ireland, and one each from Italy, France, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Armenia. This is an unusual mix but the emphasis on Germany is clear. These matches for this relatively rare motif indicate a 50% probability of a common ancestor in the last 1300 years (since circa 700 AD). Together, this suggests a common ancestor likely living in Germany sometime before 700 AD. Interestingly there is a very simple answer to fit this condition. It also fits the distribution of matches elsewhere. About 568 AD a Germanic people called the Lombards or Longobards invaded Italy. They established several areas of rule including the deep south. Among the places that these Germans settled was Grumentum, where they had a Necropolis dated to the 7th century. The burials there have been confirmed genetically as Lombards. When Grumentum was sacked by the Saracens in 872 AD and especially when it was completely destroyed by the Saracens in 1031 AD, the people fled to the surrounding mountainside and established several communities including Montemurro. Therefore we can historically link the Germanic Lombards to Grumentum, and the people of Grumentum to the founding population of Montemurro. Thus we have a direct link between German invaders and the village of Montemurro. Obviously this fits very nicely to the H* motif with strong German links carried by Rosantonia Giordano. It becomes even clearer when we learn that the Lombards passed through Czechoslovakia on their way to Italy, and that they also roamed into Poland. Further, we know that they effectively merged with the Saxons arount 300 AD and that some of them broke away and migrated south later around 380 AD. However, some did indeed remain among the Saxons. We then know that the Saxons invaded Great Britain about the same time that the Lombards invaded Italy. And so, there would indeed have been Lombard lineages who went to Great Britain with the Saxons. Some of these would later be carried to Ireland with the English invasion of that Island Nation. France is also easily tied to this but from several possibilities. Various migrations from Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, and Italy all made it to France. Finally, Armenia is explained by the fact that Italian merchants from Lombard areas made settlements in Armenian lands dating from the 13th century. Putting all this evidence together, it seems very clear that this is the most logical history associated with this lineage. The ancestral family would have come to Montemurro from Grumentum between the 9th and 11th centuries. Before that they would have lived in Grumentum since the 7th century at least and probably the 6th century. Prior to that they would have been in Czechoslovakia and before that in Germany. It is here that the common ancestor of the motif would have resided probably around 400-500 AD. Her descendants spread from their home in Northern Germany to Great Britain with the Saxons (and later to Ireland), to France, and to Czechoslovakia (with branching to Poland) and on to Italy (with later branching to Armenia). Before Germany the Lombards came from Scandinavia (Sweden). The origins before this are unknown, but we do know that the Haplogroup H originated in the Near East, and that the ancestral lineage of that Haplogroup extend back through Egypt to the origin of mitochondrial Eve in East Africa.
One mtDNA lineage including Rosantonia Giordano (born circa 1750) has been determined to be H*. This specific motif (16184T, 16519C) has four matches to German lineages, two each from Great Britain and Ireland, and one each from Italy, France, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Armenia. This is an unusual mix but the emphasis on Germany is clear. These matches for this relatively rare motif indicate a 50% probability of a common ancestor in the last 1300 years (since circa 700 AD). Together, this suggests a common ancestor likely living in Germany sometime before 700 AD. Interestingly there is a very simple answer to fit this condition. It also fits the distribution of matches elsewhere. About 568 AD a Germanic people called the Lombards or Longobards invaded Italy. They established several areas of rule including the deep south. Among the places that these Germans settled was Grumentum, where they had a Necropolis dated to the 7th century. The burials there have been confirmed genetically as Lombards. When Grumentum was sacked by the Saracens in 872 AD and especially when it was completely destroyed by the Saracens in 1031 AD, the people fled to the surrounding mountainside and established several communities including Montemurro. Therefore we can historically link the Germanic Lombards to Grumentum, and the people of Grumentum to the founding population of Montemurro. Thus we have a direct link between German invaders and the village of Montemurro. Obviously this fits very nicely to the H* motif with strong German links carried by Rosantonia Giordano. It becomes even clearer when we learn that the Lombards passed through Czechoslovakia on their way to Italy, and that they also roamed into Poland. Further, we know that they effectively merged with the Saxons arount 300 AD and that some of them broke away and migrated south later around 380 AD. However, some did indeed remain among the Saxons. We then know that the Saxons invaded Great Britain about the same time that the Lombards invaded Italy. And so, there would indeed have been Lombard lineages who went to Great Britain with the Saxons. Some of these would later be carried to Ireland with the English invasion of that Island Nation. France is also easily tied to this but from several possibilities. Various migrations from Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, and Italy all made it to France. Finally, Armenia is explained by the fact that Italian merchants from Lombard areas made settlements in Armenian lands dating from the 13th century. Putting all this evidence together, it seems very clear that this is the most logical history associated with this lineage. The ancestral family would have come to Montemurro from Grumentum between the 9th and 11th centuries. Before that they would have lived in Grumentum since the 7th century at least and probably the 6th century. Prior to that they would have been in Czechoslovakia and before that in Germany. It is here that the common ancestor of the motif would have resided probably around 400-500 AD. Her descendants spread from their home in Northern Germany to Great Britain with the Saxons (and later to Ireland), to France, and to Czechoslovakia (with branching to Poland) and on to Italy (with later branching to Armenia). Before Germany the Lombards came from Scandinavia (Sweden). The origins before this are unknown, but we do know that the Haplogroup H originated in the Near East, and that the ancestral lineage of that Haplogroup extend back through Egypt to the origin of mitochondrial Eve in East Africa.