At a glance
- When
- the Iron Age to the Hellenistic period, about 1100 to 31 BCE
- Where
- Greece and the Aegean, and Greek colonies from Spain and Sicily to the Black Sea
- Entries in our catalogue
- 100 (41 individual genomes)
- Countries of the finds
- 7
What ancient DNA shows
A 2017 study in Nature found that Minoans and Mycenaeans of the Bronze Age Aegean shared most of their ancestry with the first farmers of Greece and western Anatolia, with further ancestry related to the Caucasus and Iran, and that Mycenaeans also carried a modest share of ancestry from the Eurasian steppe. The same study found that present-day Greeks resemble the Mycenaeans, with later additions.
The colonies show how the Greek world spread. At Empuries in Spain, a 2019 study in Science found people with ancestry like that of the Aegean buried alongside people of local Iberian ancestry. At Himera in Sicily, a 2023 study of soldiers buried after battles in the fifth century BCE found that many came from far beyond the Greek world, which fits written accounts of mercenaries.
Their genetic legacy today
Present-day Greeks and many people of southern Italy and Sicily carry ancestry close to that of the ancient Greek world, alongside later additions, including Slavic-related ancestry that reached mainland Greece in the early Middle Ages.
Ancient Greeks samples in the MYDNATLAS catalogue
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 100 entries whose culture label names the Ancient Greeks. 41 of them are individual genomes; the others are reference entries, such as averages of several individuals, and samples flagged as outliers. Half of the 99 dated entries fall between 550 BCE and 400 BCE, with a median of 480 BCE.
Where they were found
| Country | Entries |
|---|---|
| Italy | 40 |
| Greece | 28 |
| Spain | 11 |
| Ukraine | 10 |
| North Macedonia | 9 |
| France | 1 |
| Türkiye | 1 |
Most common labels
| Label | Entries |
|---|---|
| Greek Colonial Sicily (Himera) | 19 |
| Ancient Greek | 18 |
| Greek-Roman Sicily (Italy) | 13 |
| Greek Colonial (Chersonesus Taurica) | 7 |
| Greek (Greece) | 6 |
| Hellenistic-Era Macedonia | 6 |
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 Greeks
To see how close you sit to Ancient Greeks 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 Greeks samples does MYDNATLAS hold?
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 100 entries labelled as Ancient Greeks, of which 41 are individual genomes; the rest are reference entries such as group averages, and flagged outliers. Figures measured 2026-10-17.
Where were the Ancient Greeks samples found?
They come from 7 countries, most often Italy, Greece, Spain, Ukraine and North Macedonia. Half of the dated entries fall between 550 BCE and 400 BCE.
Are modern Greeks descended from the ancient Greeks?
Largely, according to ancient DNA. Present-day Greeks are genetically close to Bronze Age and ancient Greeks, with later contributions that vary by region, so continuity is strong but not complete.