Ancient Lifeways
Farmers, hunters, and the roots of civilization
Uncovering your prehistoric heritage...
Analyzing ancient population markers
Before cities. Before borders. Before history.
Your Ancient Heritage Revealed
Your DNA carries the memory of humanity's first ways of living — the foragers who read the land, and the farmers who shaped it.
Your Top Genetic Connections
These ancient populations share the strongest genetic similarity with you — windows into the lives your ancestors once lived.
Karelian Forest Hunter-Gatherers
38.0% match
These hunter-gatherers were highly adapted to the post-glacial forests of Northern Europe. They developed sophisticated hunting techniques for large g...
Early Anatolian Agricultural Pioneers
29.4% match
Caucasus Mountain Hunter-Gatherers
10.0% match
Lake Baikal Fisher-Hunters
7.2% match
Iron Gates Riverine Hunter-Gatherers
5.2% match
Kenya Rift Valley Pastoral Farmers
4.8% match
Swedish Funnel Beaker Farmers
2.8% match
Ethiopian Highland Agropastoralists
1.2% match
Kolyma River Taiga Hunters
1.2% match
Yellow River Valley Early Farmers
0.2% match
"These are not strangers from the past. They are the people whose DNA you carry."
When They Lived
Journey through 12,000 years of human history — from the last Ice Age to the rise of great civilizations.
Your Ancient Matches Through Time
12,500 BC — 2,350 BC
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Where They Roamed
From the forests of Europe to the mountains of the Near East — explore the lands your ancient ancestors called home.
ROUTES
ACTIVE CULTURES
Routes and dates reflect scholarship as of 2025 and may be revised as new research emerges.
Geographic Distribution
| Population | Type | Location | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karelian Forest Hunter-Gatherers | hunter | Karelia region (Northwestern Russia) | 38.00% |
| Early Anatolian Agricultural Pioneers | farmer | Central Anatolia (modern Turkey) | 29.40% |
| Caucasus Mountain Hunter-Gatherers | hunter | Georgia, Caucasus Mountains | 10.00% |
| Lake Baikal Fisher-Hunters | hunter | Lake Baikal region, Siberia | 7.20% |
| Iron Gates Riverine Hunter-Gatherers | hunter | Iron Gates, Serbia | 5.20% |
| Kenya Rift Valley Pastoral Farmers | farmer | Rift Valley, Kenya | 4.80% |
| Swedish Funnel Beaker Farmers | farmer | Southern Sweden | 2.80% |
| Kolyma River Taiga Hunters | hunter | Kolyma River region, Eastern Siberia | 1.20% |
| Ethiopian Highland Agropastoralists | hunter | Ethiopian Highlands | 1.20% |
| Ethiopian Highland Early Farmers | farmer | Ethiopian Highlands | 1.20% |
Map Guide
Click on any marker to see details about that ancient population and your genetic connection to them.
What Your DNA Reveals
The patterns in your genetic code tell a story of adaptation, survival, and the mixing of ancient ways of life.
Lifestyle Breakdown
Era Distribution
Understanding Your Heritage
Farmer Heritage
Farmer ancestry indicates genetic connections to early agricultural societies that cultivated crops and domesticated animals. These populations developed genetic adaptations for grain-based diets and dairy consumption.
Hunter-Gatherer Heritage
Hunter-gatherer ancestry reflects connections to populations that lived by foraging and hunting. They developed adaptations for high-protein diets and nomadic lifestyles in diverse environments.
Key Insights About Your Results
How You Compare
Farmer Ancestry
You have more farmer ancestry than 50% of people. Average: 35.0%
Hunter-Gatherer Ancestry
You have more hunter-gatherer ancestry than 95% of people. Average: 25.0%
Percentage Scale
Cultural Periods of Your Ancestors
Explore the historical eras that shaped your genetic heritage—from the Ice Age to the dawn of civilization.
Late Neolithic Yellow River, China
The Late Neolithic era along the Yellow River in China represents a formative period in ancient Chinese civilization, spanning approximately from 3000 to 2000 BCE. This era is characterized by significant developments in social structure, technology, agriculture, and culture, setting the groundwork ...
Ancient Individuals from this Era
Ethiopia 4500 Years Before Present
The era 4500 years before present in Ethiopia falls around 2500 BCE, a time when ancient Cushitic-speaking people likely inhabited parts of the Horn of Africa, including modern-day Ethiopia. This period is crucial for understanding the development of early societies in the region, as it predates the...
Ancient Individuals from this Era
Mesolithic Hunter-Gatherers of Kotias Klde
The Mesolithic era is a fascinating period of human prehistory that spans from roughly 10,000 to 5,000 BCE. It represents a transitional phase between the Paleolithic period, characterized by a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, and the Neolithic era, marked by the advent of agriculture and settled communit...
Ancient Individuals from this Era
Pastoral Neolithic in Kenya
The Pastoral Neolithic period in Kenya, particularly associated with Nilotic cultures, is a fascinating phase in the region's prehistoric era, marked by significant social, cultural, and economic transformations. This period, generally dated between 3,000 to 1,400 years ago, witnessed the movement a...
Ancient Individuals from this Era
Hunter-Gatherer Karelia, Russia
Hunter-Gatherer Karelia, located in present-day northwestern Russia, represents an intriguing intersection of geography, culture, and history. Situated in the region known as Karelia, this area is characterized by its dense forests, countless lakes, and rugged terrain, forming part of the larger Rus...
Ancient Individuals from this Era
Late Neolithic Kolyma River, Russia
The Late Neolithic period along the Kolyma River in Russia, within the broader context of Paleo-Siberian culture, represents a fascinating era of adaptation and innovation in the harsh climates of northeastern Siberia. This region, known for its rugged terrain and extreme cold, posed unique challeng...
Ancient Individuals from this Era
Late Neolithic Ust-Ida, Russia
The Late Neolithic Ust-Ida culture, located in what is now southern Siberia near the Angara River, is part of the broader Circum-Pontic Neolithic complex. This era, dating from roughly 4000 to 3000 BCE, represents a time of significant cultural and technological transformation as human societies tra...
Ancient Individuals from this Era
Mesolithic Iron Gates, Serbia
The Mesolithic Iron Gates region, located along the Danube River in present-day Serbia and Romania, represents a significant archaeological and cultural period in European prehistory. This region is named after the Iron Gates, a dramatic gorge that cuts through the Carpathian Mountains, providing a ...
Ancient Individuals from this Era
Middle Neolithic Funnel Beaker Culture, Sweden
The Middle Neolithic Funnel Beaker Culture (TRB) in Sweden, roughly spanning from 4000 to 2800 BCE, represents a significant prehistoric period distinguished by its development and distinct cultural practices. The TRB culture is notable for its archaeological and anthropological implications, especi...
Ancient Individuals from this Era
Neolithic Turkey
The Neolithic period in Anatolia, present-day Turkey, represents a transformative era in human history, marked by the shift from nomadic hunter-gatherer societies to settled agricultural communities. This period, spanning from approximately 10,000 to 3,200 BCE, laid the foundations for the rise of c...
Ancient Individuals from this Era
Your Ancestry by Region
Discover how your genetic heritage is distributed across different geographic regions and population types.
Ethiopian Highlands
Kenya
Modern Turkey
Caucasus Mountains
Serbia
Northwestern Russia
Eastern Siberia
Southern Sweden
Siberia
China
Archaeological Sites Connected to Your Ancestry
These remarkable archaeological sites represent places where populations genetically similar to you once lived, leaving behind evidence of their ancient ways of life.
Gobekli Tepe
Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey
~9600-8000 BCE
The world's oldest known monumental sanctuary, predating agriculture itself. Massive T-shaped limestone pillars arranged in circles, decorated with carved animal reliefs (foxes, bulls, snakes, vultures), were erected by hunter-gatherers around 9600 BCE. This site revolutionized our understanding of prehistoric societies, proving that complex ritual architecture preceded settled farming. The effort required to build Gobekli Tepe may have been a catalyst for the agricultural revolution itself, as communities needed reliable food supplies to sustain the workforce.
Catalhoyuk
Central Anatolia, Turkey
~7500-5700 BCE
One of the largest and best-preserved Neolithic settlements, home to an estimated 3,000-8,000 people at its peak. Houses were built wall-to-wall without streets, entered through holes in the roof. The community practiced elaborate burial rituals (interring the dead beneath house floors), created stunning wall paintings depicting hunting scenes and geometric patterns, and cultivated wheat, barley, and lentils. Catalhoyuk provides the most complete picture of early farming community life.
Vinca-Belo Brdo
Central Balkans, Serbia
~5700-4500 BCE
The type-site of the Vinca culture (5700-4500 BCE), one of Europe's most sophisticated Neolithic civilizations. Located on the Danube near modern Belgrade, the settlement reached 9 meters of accumulated cultural deposits over 2,000 years of continuous habitation. The Vinca culture is famous for its enigmatic symbols (the Vinca symbols, sometimes controversially called 'Old European script'), elaborate anthropomorphic figurines, copper smelting (among the earliest in the world), and long-distance trade networks spanning hundreds of kilometers.
Franchthi Cave
Argolid, Peloponnese, Greece
~38000-3000 BCE (Neolithic layers: ~7000-3000 BCE)
An extraordinary cave in the Argolid region of Greece with continuous human occupation spanning from the Upper Paleolithic through the Neolithic (38,000-3000 BCE). The deep stratigraphic sequence documents the entire transition from hunting and gathering to farming in one location. Key discoveries include obsidian from the island of Melos (proving seafaring capabilities by 11,000 BCE), the earliest evidence of tuna fishing in the Mediterranean, and a gradual adoption of domesticated plants and animals during the 7th millennium BCE.
Genetic Continuity with Modern Populations
Your ancient farmer and hunter-gatherer ancestry shows remarkable continuity with certain modern populations. These comparisons reveal how genetic legacies persist across millennia.
Finnish
73% similarityFinland
Finns are genetically distinctive among Europeans, carrying elevated proportions of hunter-gatherer ancestry (both WHG and EHG) and less farmer ancestry than most other Europeans. This reflects the late and incomplete spread of farming to Finland, combined with continuous hunter-gatherer traditions and later Siberian-related gene flow.
Genetic similarity based on component analysis
Elevated EHG ancestry, late adoption of farming
Norwegian
72% similarityNorway
Norwegians carry some of the highest proportions of hunter-gatherer ancestry among modern European populations, reflecting the persistence of Mesolithic Scandinavian hunter-gatherer-fishers and the late arrival of farming to Scandinavia. Substantial steppe ancestry was introduced during the Battle Axe culture expansion.
Genetic similarity based on component analysis
Among the highest WHG/SHG in modern Europeans
Lithuanian
71% similarityLithuania
Lithuanians and other Baltic populations preserve some of the highest proportions of Eastern Hunter-Gatherer (EHG) ancestry in modern Europe, along with substantial steppe-related ancestry. The Baltic region was one of the last areas of Europe to adopt farming, with hunter-gatherer lifestyles persisting well into the 3rd millennium BCE.
Genetic similarity based on component analysis
Among the last European hunter-gatherer holdouts
Spanish
70% similaritySpain
Modern Spanish populations show a complex ancestry profile reflecting the Mediterranean coastal Neolithic expansion, subsequent Mesolithic hunter-gatherer admixture, and moderate Bronze Age steppe input. Regional variation is significant, with southern Spain showing more EEF ancestry and northern regions showing more WHG.
Genetic similarity based on component analysis
Mediterranean Neolithic with moderate steppe input
Sardinian
69% similaritySardinia, Italy
Sardinians are the modern European population with the highest proportion of Early European Farmer (EEF) ancestry, reflecting their geographic isolation on the Mediterranean island. They experienced minimal steppe migration impact compared to mainland Europeans.
Similar steppe ancestry (5%)
Highest EEF ancestry in modern Europe
Scientific Publications
The ancient samples in your ancestry profile come from peer-reviewed scientific publications. Explore the research that made these genetic discoveries possible.
The first horse herders and the impact of early Bronze Age steppe expansions into Asia
Ancient Individuals from this Publication
Genomic diversity and admixture differs for Stone-Age Scandinavian foragers and farmers
Ancient Individuals from this Publication
Genome-wide patterns of selection in 230 ancient Eurasians
Ancient Individuals from this Publication
The genomic history of southeastern Europe
Ancient Individuals from this Publication
Ancient Ethiopian genome reveals extensive Eurasian admixture throughout the African continent
Ancient Individuals from this Publication
Ancient DNA reveals a multistep spread of the first herders into sub-Saharan Africa
Ancient Individuals from this Publication
Population genomics of post-glacial western Eurasia
Ancient Individuals from this Publication
Ancient genomes from northern China suggest links between subsistence changes and human migration
Ancient Individuals from this Publication
Human population dynamics and Yersinia pestis in ancient northeast Asia
Ancient Individuals from this Publication
The Neolithic Revolution
The transition from hunting and gathering to farming was one of humanity's most transformative periods. Your DNA carries the genetic legacy of this profound change.
Around 12,000 years ago, humanity began a revolution that would reshape the world. In the Fertile Crescent— a region spanning modern-day Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran—people began to domesticate plants and animals. This shift from foraging to farming marked the beginning of the Neolithic period and fundamentally changed human society, diet, and genetics.
Early farmers developed genetic adaptations for digesting grains and dairy products. They built permanent settlements, developed new technologies, and their populations grew rapidly. Over thousands of years, farming spread across Europe, carried by migrating populations and adopted by local hunter-gatherers.
Your genetic profile reveals the complex story of this transition. The balance between farmer and hunter-gatherer ancestry in your DNA reflects the mixing of populations, the adoption of new technologies, and the persistence of ancient ways of life. Some of your ancestors were among the first farmers; others maintained traditional foraging lifestyles for millennia.
This genetic diversity is a testament to humanity's adaptability and the rich tapestry of our shared past. Every percentage point in your ancestry represents thousands of years of human history, migration, and cultural exchange.
Your Genetic Achievements
Celebrate the unique aspects of your genetic heritage with these personalized achievements.
Ancient Explorer
Your ancestry spans exceptionally diverse geographic regions
Hunter Heritage
Significant ties to ancient hunter-gatherer populations
Diverse Roots
Connected to 5 or more distinct ancient populations
Unique Profile
Your ancestry profile is highly distinctive
Explore All Populations
Browse the complete catalog of ancient populations in your ancestry profile.
38.0%
Karelian Forest Hunter-Gatherers
These hunter-gatherers were highly adapted to the post-glacial forests of Northern Europe. They developed sophisticated ...
29.4%
Early Anatolian Agricultural Pioneers
These early farmers represent one of humanity's first transitions to agriculture. They lived in large settled communitie...
10.0%
Caucasus Mountain Hunter-Gatherers
These mountain-adapted peoples developed unique strategies for surviving in the challenging Caucasus environment. They w...
7.2%
Lake Baikal Fisher-Hunters
These lake-dwelling peoples developed sophisticated fishing and hunting techniques, creating elaborate bone and stone to...
5.2%
Iron Gates Riverine Hunter-Gatherers
Developed sophisticated fishing techniques and semi-permanent settlements along the Danube. Created elaborate burial pra...
4.8%
Kenya Rift Valley Pastoral Farmers
Specialized in cattle herding with supplementary cultivation. Developed mobile settlement patterns following seasonal gr...
2.8%
Swedish Funnel Beaker Farmers
Members of the Funnel Beaker Culture (TRB), representing the adaptation of farming to Scandinavian conditions. Developed...
1.2%
Ethiopian Highland Agropastoralists
These highland dwellers developed unique agricultural practices adapted to high-altitude environments. They combined cat...
1.2%
Kolyma River Taiga Hunters
These hunters were adapted to the harsh conditions of the Siberian taiga, developing complex hunting strategies for fore...
0.2%
Yellow River Valley Early Farmers
These sophisticated farmers developed intensive rice and millet cultivation systems, creating some of the earliest compl...
Understanding Your Results
Common questions about ancient ancestry analysis and what the science reveals.
The percentages represent genetic similarity to ancient populations, calculated using ADMIXTURE analysis. Higher percentages indicate stronger genetic affinity to that ancient population. Multiple populations can contribute to your ancestry simultaneously.
Having both farmer and hunter-gatherer ancestry is completely normal. During the Neolithic Transition (10,000-5,000 BCE), farming spread from the Middle East into Europe, mixing with existing hunter-gatherer populations. Your genetic profile is a mosaic of these ancient populations.
Maritime populations represent specialized adaptations to coastal and seafaring lifestyles. Islander populations show more specialized adaptations due to geographic isolation, including unique genetic drift patterns.
This report uses state-of-the-art genetic analysis methods:
ADMIXTURE Analysis
Custom analysis optimized for ancient population modeling.
Ancient DNA Database
Thousands of verified ancient genomes from archaeological sites.
This report compares your genetic profile to diverse ancient populations spanning approximately 12,000 to 3,000 BCE, including:
Early Farming Societies
- Anatolian Farmers (9,000-8,000 BCE)
- Zagros Mountain Farmers (7,000-6,000 BCE)
- Levantine Farmers
Hunter-Gatherer Societies
- Western European Hunter-Gatherers
- Eastern European Hunter-Gatherers
- Scandinavian Hunter-Gatherers
All methods are based on peer-reviewed research and validated through comparison with known population histories from published studies.
Your Heritage Summary
A shareable snapshot of your ancient genetic heritage.
Farmers & Hunter-Gatherers
Demo ReportTop Connections
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