At a glance
- When
- the Iron Age, about 1000 BCE to the Roman conquest
- Where
- the western Balkans, from present-day Croatia and Bosnia to Albania
- Entries in our catalogue
- 47 (30 individual genomes)
- Countries of the finds
- 4
What ancient DNA shows
The 2022 Southern Arc study in Science and related work found that Bronze and Iron Age people of the western Balkans combined early farmer ancestry with steppe ancestry, some of which arrived during the Bronze Age. Paternal lineages such as J2b-L283 appear repeatedly in Bronze and Iron Age burials along the Adriatic.
A 2023 study in Cell of the Balkans from Roman to medieval times found that migrations of people with Eastern European, Slavic-related ancestry from the sixth century CE contributed a large share of the ancestry of most present-day Balkan peoples, while present-day Albanians and Greeks carry relatively more ancestry from the earlier Balkan population.
Their genetic legacy today
Iron Age western Balkan ancestry continues in present-day populations of the region, most strongly in Albanians, alongside the Slavic-related and other ancestry added since late antiquity.
Illyrians samples in the MYDNATLAS catalogue
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 47 entries whose culture label names the Illyrians. 30 of them are individual genomes; the others are reference entries, such as averages of several individuals, and samples flagged as outliers. Half of the 46 dated entries fall between 800 BCE and 457 BCE, with a median of 604 BCE.
Where they were found
| Country | Entries |
|---|---|
| Croatia | 25 |
| Albania | 19 |
| Montenegro | 2 |
| Italy | 1 |
Most common labels
| Label | Entries |
|---|---|
| Iron Age Illyrian (Croatia) | 20 |
| Illyrian | 8 |
| Iron Age Illyrian (Çinamak, Albania) | 6 |
| Iron Age Illyrian (Albania) | 4 |
| Classical-Era Illyrian (Çinamak, Albania) | 2 |
| Late Bronze-Iron Age Illyrian (Çinamak, Albania) | 2 |
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 Illyrians
To see how close you sit to Illyrians 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 Illyrians samples does MYDNATLAS hold?
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 47 entries labelled as Illyrians, of which 30 are individual genomes; the rest are reference entries such as group averages, and flagged outliers. Figures measured 2026-10-17.
Where were the Illyrians samples found?
They come from 4 countries, most often Croatia, Albania, Montenegro and Italy. Half of the dated entries fall between 800 BCE and 457 BCE.
Are Albanians descended from the Illyrians?
Ancient DNA supports substantial continuity between Bronze and Iron Age western Balkan populations and present-day Albanians, including shared paternal lineages, together with later admixture. Whether the Albanian language descends from Illyrian is a linguistic question that genetics cannot settle on its own.