Anonymous
6/12/2025, 9:44:20 PM No.211662030
At Karolinska Institutet, the most prestigeous medical university in Northern Europe, a new study was published this Monday. The study examined the genetic profile of 14 Roman patricians of the senator class from their skeletons and remains. They also examined the genetics of the Emperor Augustus, also known as Octavianus before his crowning. They went to the Mausoleum of Augustus.
Bög-Olle Hästskosson and Fjollbjörn Snorström are professors in molecular biology at KI. They studied under the renowned professor Runka Kuukalainen who used to give lectures at Helsinki University, Stockholm university and the University of Oslo. He's one of the most well-known professors and scientists in molecular biology of the 21st century.
Out of the 14 Roman senators, 13 of them were classified as "Northern European" in genetic profile. 7 of them carried the Nordic haplogroup I1 and on autosomal tests they were placed closest to a person from modern day western Sweden or eastern Norway. The other subjects carried haplogroup N1c and were a mix of Nordic and Baltic in genetics. Out of 14 senators, only one was Southern European in genetic profile, but that individual was placed closest to a modern day Austrian.
"We're all quite surprised, we expected significantly less Northern European admixture in these individuals", said Bög-Olle.
Emperor Augustus was also proven to carry haplogroup I1.
"Even though the Roman ruling class were not genetically similar to modern day Italian people we must remember that culture is the first and foremost means of identification. It would be odd if, say, Danish people start to identify as Roman Emperors just because the Romans have now been proven to be more Nordic genetically than modern day Italians. If you are Italian and shocked by this study, do not be. What we do in this life is what defines us, and Italians carry on the culture of the Romans even though Nordic people evidently carry their genetics", said Fjollbjörn Snorström.
Bög-Olle Hästskosson and Fjollbjörn Snorström are professors in molecular biology at KI. They studied under the renowned professor Runka Kuukalainen who used to give lectures at Helsinki University, Stockholm university and the University of Oslo. He's one of the most well-known professors and scientists in molecular biology of the 21st century.
Out of the 14 Roman senators, 13 of them were classified as "Northern European" in genetic profile. 7 of them carried the Nordic haplogroup I1 and on autosomal tests they were placed closest to a person from modern day western Sweden or eastern Norway. The other subjects carried haplogroup N1c and were a mix of Nordic and Baltic in genetics. Out of 14 senators, only one was Southern European in genetic profile, but that individual was placed closest to a modern day Austrian.
"We're all quite surprised, we expected significantly less Northern European admixture in these individuals", said Bög-Olle.
Emperor Augustus was also proven to carry haplogroup I1.
"Even though the Roman ruling class were not genetically similar to modern day Italian people we must remember that culture is the first and foremost means of identification. It would be odd if, say, Danish people start to identify as Roman Emperors just because the Romans have now been proven to be more Nordic genetically than modern day Italians. If you are Italian and shocked by this study, do not be. What we do in this life is what defines us, and Italians carry on the culture of the Romans even though Nordic people evidently carry their genetics", said Fjollbjörn Snorström.
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