At a glance
- When
- from the Old Kingdom, about 2700 BCE, to the Roman period
- Where
- the Nile Valley
- Entries in our catalogue
- 20 (10 individual genomes)
- Countries of the finds
- 1
What ancient DNA shows
A 2017 study of mummies from Abusir el-Meleq, spanning the New Kingdom to the Roman period, found that these ancient Egyptians were closer to Near Eastern and Levantine populations than present-day Egyptians are, and carried less sub-Saharan African ancestry than Egyptians today, a share that rose over roughly the last 1,500 years.
In 2025, the first whole genome from the Old Kingdom era, an individual from Nuwayrat, was published in Nature. Most of the ancestry matched earlier North African Neolithic people, and about a fifth was related to populations of the eastern Fertile Crescent, including Mesopotamia.
Their genetic legacy today
Present-day Egyptians share much of their ancestry with the ancient population of the Nile Valley, with later additions from sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere.
Ancient Egyptians samples in the MYDNATLAS catalogue
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 20 entries whose culture label names the Ancient Egyptians. 10 of them are individual genomes; the others are reference entries, such as averages of several individuals, and samples flagged as outliers. Half of the 19 dated entries fall between 2,200 BCE and 590 BCE, with a median of 800 BCE.
Where they were found
| Country | Entries |
|---|---|
| Egypt | 20 |
Most common labels
| Label | Entries |
|---|---|
| Old Kingdom Egypt (Egypt) | 3 |
| Third Intermediate Egypt (Egypt) | 3 |
| Ancient Egyptian | 2 |
| Late Period Egyptian (Egypt) | 2 |
| Ptolemaic Egyptian (Egypt) | 2 |
| Egypt Hellenistic | 1 |
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 Egyptians
To see how close you sit to Ancient Egyptians 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 Egyptians samples does MYDNATLAS hold?
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 20 entries labelled as Ancient Egyptians, of which 10 are individual genomes; the rest are reference entries such as group averages, and flagged outliers. Figures measured 2026-10-17.
Where were the Ancient Egyptians samples found?
They come from 1 country, most often Egypt. Half of the dated entries fall between 2,200 BCE and 590 BCE.
Why are there so few ancient Egyptian genomes?
Heat and the chemistry of mummification break DNA down. Most attempts fail, so the published record rests on a small number of individuals, and conclusions should be read with that in mind.