Comments by "A AG" (@aag3752) on "Viking Eye Color and DNA: What Was the Genetic Makeup of the Vikings?" video.

Great vid, sir. Very balanced and informative. I'm also fascinated by the idea that the Vikings may have increased the rate of blue and gray eyes in the ME, which is where I'm from. It is plausible. But I just want to add that Lebanese and Syrians in particular have had the genes for blue eyes long before the Vikings had sailed and traded in the region. (Probably since the early Iron Age, according to recent genetic studies).
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@celtichistorydecoded One good study done by Haber et al is called "Continuity and Admixture in the Last Five Millennia of Levantine History". That's where they also mention that the Lebanese they tested had between 11% and 22% Steppe-related ancestry, and that this was a necessary component for modeling their dna. If I'm not mistaken, this may be one of the sources for light eyes in our population.
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In addition to this, there was direct genetic input from the Romans, during the Roman and Byzantine Empires. We do have some direct European admixture as a result, but not very much. So, it doesn't seem likely this would have been the main contributing factor.
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@GlobDaSon Which empires?
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@GlobDaSon Ok I got what you're saying now. Well, the reason we have these genes is because of ancient populations from the Caucuses and Siberia. These are the same groups that gave "light" features to Europeans. So, it's not a separate mutation. (The groups I'm talking about are EHG, Eurasian Steppe, Anatolian Farmers). Yeah, I don't think we get it directly from Nordic people. For any Lebanese that has northern European admixture, this would be because of trade (the Vikings did reach the Levant, and then there's also the Varangian Guard). But for the most part, it's from our ancient ancestors.
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