At a glance
- When
- the twelfth to fourteenth centuries CE
- Where
- Jewish communities of medieval Germany and England
- Entries in our catalogue
- 44 (33 individual genomes)
- Countries of the finds
- 3
What ancient DNA shows
A 2022 study in Cell sequenced individuals from a fourteenth century Jewish cemetery in Erfurt, Germany. It found that the Ashkenazi founder event, in which the population descended from a small number of people, had already happened by then, and that the community was genetically varied, with one group closer to Middle Eastern populations and another with more European-related ancestry.
A 2022 study in Current Biology of remains found in a medieval well in Norwich, England, identified several individuals as probably Jewish from their ancestry and genetic variants, and dated them to the twelfth or thirteenth century, a period of violence against the city's Jewish community.
Their genetic legacy today
Present-day Ashkenazi Jews carry ancestry similar to that of the medieval Erfurt community, a mixture of Middle Eastern and European-related ancestry, and share the founder variants found in the medieval genomes.
Medieval Ashkenazi Jews samples in the MYDNATLAS catalogue
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 44 entries whose culture label names the Medieval Ashkenazi Jews. 33 of them are individual genomes; the others are reference entries, such as averages of several individuals, and samples flagged as outliers. Half of the 44 dated entries fall between 1,182 CE and 1,341 CE, with a median of 1,325 CE.
Where they were found
| Country | Entries |
|---|---|
| Germany | 32 |
| United Kingdom | 9 |
| Poland | 3 |
Most common labels
| Label | Entries |
|---|---|
| Medieval Ashkenazi Jewish (Erfurt, Thuringia, Germany) | 23 |
| Medieval Ashkenazi Jewish (Norwich, England) | 7 |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 3 |
| Medieval Ashkenazi Jewish Community (Erfurt) | 3 |
| Medieval Ashkenazi Jewish (Germany) | 2 |
| Germany Medieval Jewish | 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 Medieval Ashkenazi Jews
To see how close you sit to Medieval Ashkenazi Jews 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 Medieval Ashkenazi Jews samples does MYDNATLAS hold?
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 44 entries labelled as Medieval Ashkenazi Jews, of which 33 are individual genomes; the rest are reference entries such as group averages, and flagged outliers. Figures measured 2026-10-17.
Where were the Medieval Ashkenazi Jews samples found?
They come from 3 countries, most often Germany, United Kingdom and Poland. Half of the dated entries fall between 1,182 CE and 1,341 CE.
Can ancient DNA show Ashkenazi ancestry?
It can show how close your G25 coordinates sit to medieval Ashkenazi genomes such as those from Erfurt, a comparison with real historical individuals rather than a label. It cannot establish religious or cultural identity, which genetics does not measure.