At a glance
- When
- about 2800 to 1800 BCE
- Where
- Western and Central Europe, from Iberia to Hungary and Britain
- Entries in our catalogue
- 453 (257 individual genomes)
- Countries of the finds
- 12
What ancient DNA shows
A 2018 study in Nature of several hundred Beaker complex individuals found that Beaker people in Iberia carried little steppe ancestry, while Beaker people in Central Europe carried a great deal, so the culture first spread between existing populations without large movements of people.
In Britain the picture is very different. The same study found that the arrival of the Beaker complex was followed by the replacement of about ninety percent of the island's earlier Neolithic ancestry within a few hundred years, by people with steppe ancestry from the continent. Beaker men in Britain and Central Europe mostly carried the R1b-P312 Y-chromosome lineage.
Their genetic legacy today
The Beaker era migration laid down a large share of the ancestry of present-day people in Britain and Ireland, and R1b-P312 and its branches are the most common paternal lineages in Western Europe today.
Bell Beaker samples in the MYDNATLAS catalogue
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 453 entries whose culture label names the Bell Beaker. 257 of them are individual genomes; the others are reference entries, such as averages of several individuals, and samples flagged as outliers. Half of the 453 dated entries fall between 2,400 BCE and 2,238 BCE, with a median of 2,300 BCE.
Where they were found
| Country | Entries |
|---|---|
| Czechia | 117 |
| Germany | 108 |
| United Kingdom | 84 |
| France | 42 |
| Netherlands | 29 |
| Hungary | 25 |
| Poland | 15 |
| Spain | 13 |
Most common labels
| Label | Entries |
|---|---|
| Bell Beaker | 319 |
| Bell Beaker (Bavaria, Germany) | 23 |
| Bell Beaker (Germany) | 12 |
| Bell Beaker (Britain; Early Bronze Age) | 5 |
| Bell Beaker Culture | 5 |
| Bell Beaker Culture (Bavaria) | 5 |
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 Bell Beaker
To see how close you sit to Bell Beaker 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 Bell Beaker samples does MYDNATLAS hold?
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 453 entries labelled as Bell Beaker, of which 257 are individual genomes; the rest are reference entries such as group averages, and flagged outliers. Figures measured 2026-10-17.
Where were the Bell Beaker samples found?
They come from 12 countries, most often Czechia, Germany, United Kingdom, France and Netherlands. Half of the dated entries fall between 2,400 BCE and 2,238 BCE.
Did the Bell Beaker people replace the builders of Stonehenge?
Largely, in genetic terms. Ancient DNA shows that within a few centuries of the Beaker complex reaching Britain, around ninety percent of the earlier Neolithic ancestry had been replaced.