At a glance
- When
- about 9000 BCE to the Roman period
- Where
- Anatolia, the Asian part of present-day Turkey
- Entries in our catalogue
- 484 (330 individual genomes)
- Countries of the finds
- 2
What ancient DNA shows
Genomes from Neolithic sites such as Boncuklu, Asikli and Barcin show that Anatolian foragers became farmers without being replaced, and that Anatolian farmers were the main ancestors of Europe's first farmers. During the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age, Anatolian populations gained ancestry related to Caucasus hunter-gatherers and Iranian farmers from the east.
A 2022 study in Science of the region it called the Southern Arc found that Bronze Age Anatolians, including people of the Hittite era, had little or no steppe ancestry, unlike their contemporaries in the Balkans and Greece. The study argued that the Anatolian languages such as Hittite descend from a source shared with the ancestors of the Yamnaya, possibly in the Caucasus region, rather than from a later steppe migration. That interpretation is still debated.
Their genetic legacy today
Present-day people of Turkey carry ancestry from these ancient Anatolians, together with later contributions, notably Central Asian and East Asian related ancestry introduced after the eleventh century CE.
Ancient Anatolians samples in the MYDNATLAS catalogue
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 484 entries whose culture label names the Ancient Anatolians. 330 of them are individual genomes; the others are reference entries, such as averages of several individuals, and samples flagged as outliers. Half of the 483 dated entries fall between 6,350 BCE and 1,750 BCE, with a median of 3,585 BCE.
Where they were found
| Country | Entries |
|---|---|
| Türkiye | 481 |
| United Kingdom | 3 |
Most common labels
| Label | Entries |
|---|---|
| Anatolian Neolithic (Turkey) | 177 |
| Bronze Age Anatolia (Turkey) | 94 |
| Roman Anatolia (Turkey) | 18 |
| Chalcolithic Anatolia (Turkey) | 14 |
| Early Neolithic (Bademağacı Höyük, Lakes District, SW Anatolia) | 10 |
| Middle Bronze Age (Oylum Höyük, Kilis, southeastern Anatolia) | 9 |
Measured from the live catalogue on 2026-10-17. Dates are those recorded for each entry; the archaeological dates of the culture are given above. See our data sources for where the samples come from.
Compare your DNA with the Ancient Anatolians
To see how close you sit to Ancient Anatolians samples, you need your DNA as G25 coordinates. Download your raw data file from your testing company, convert it, and MYDNATLAS compares your coordinates with these entries and the rest of the catalogue, period by period, in its closest population and mixture tools.
- Download your raw DNA file: step by step for each testing company.
- Upload it from 23andMe, AncestryDNA, MyHeritage or FamilyTreeDNA, or another supported provider.
- Explore the results with the period by period breakdown and closest populations.
Start free: browse the Population Encyclopedia. The Population Encyclopedia is free to browse with a free account; analysing your own DNA needs a paid plan.
Questions
How many Ancient Anatolians samples does MYDNATLAS hold?
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 484 entries labelled as Ancient Anatolians, of which 330 are individual genomes; the rest are reference entries such as group averages, and flagged outliers. Figures measured 2026-10-17.
Where were the Ancient Anatolians samples found?
They come from 2 countries, most often Türkiye and United Kingdom. Half of the dated entries fall between 6,350 BCE and 1,750 BCE.
Did the Hittites come from the steppe?
Ancient DNA has not found a steppe migration into Bronze Age Anatolia. Hittite era individuals sampled so far descend mostly from earlier Anatolian and eastern populations, so how the Hittite language arrived is still an open question.