At a glance
- When
- about 12,000 to 5000 BCE, from the end of the last Ice Age until farming arrived
- Where
- Western and Central Europe, from Iberia and Britain to the Danube
- Entries in our catalogue
- 312 (179 individual genomes)
- Countries of the finds
- 15
What ancient DNA shows
The term comes from a 2014 study in Nature that analysed the Loschbour individual from Luxembourg and found that present-day Europeans can be modelled as mixtures of western hunter-gatherers, early farmers and a third, northern Eurasian source. A 2016 study found that hunter-gatherers of this kind appear in Europe around 14,000 years ago, represented by the Villabruna individual from Italy, and largely replaced earlier Ice Age populations.
Genomes such as La Brana from Spain and Cheddar Man from Britain suggest that many western hunter-gatherers combined dark skin with light eyes, a combination now rare. In the Danube Gorges of the Iron Gates, foragers carried mostly western hunter-gatherer ancestry with some eastern hunter-gatherer ancestry, and mixed with the first farmers who settled beside them.
Their genetic legacy today
Western hunter-gatherer ancestry survives in every present-day European population, in shares that are highest around the Baltic Sea and in northeastern Europe and lower in the south.
Western Hunter-Gatherers samples in the MYDNATLAS catalogue
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 312 entries whose culture label names the Western Hunter-Gatherers. 179 of them are individual genomes; the others are reference entries, such as averages of several individuals, and samples flagged as outliers. Half of the 312 dated entries fall between 8,000 BCE and 6,075 BCE, with a median of 7,100 BCE.
Where they were found
| Country | Entries |
|---|---|
| Serbia | 94 |
| France | 43 |
| Germany | 36 |
| Italy | 27 |
| Romania | 26 |
| Denmark | 24 |
| United Kingdom | 19 |
| Spain | 18 |
Most common labels
| Label | Entries |
|---|---|
| Iron Gates Mesolithic (Serbia) | 57 |
| Mesolithic (Denmark) | 25 |
| Mesolithic Iberia (Spain) | 18 |
| Mesolithic (France) | 15 |
| Mesolithic (Italy) | 14 |
| Iron Gates Mesolithic (Danube Gorges) | 11 |
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 Western Hunter-Gatherers
To see how close you sit to Western Hunter-Gatherers 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 Western Hunter-Gatherers samples does MYDNATLAS hold?
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 312 entries labelled as Western Hunter-Gatherers, of which 179 are individual genomes; the rest are reference entries such as group averages, and flagged outliers. Figures measured 2026-10-17.
Where were the Western Hunter-Gatherers samples found?
They come from 15 countries, most often Serbia, France, Germany, Italy and Romania. Half of the dated entries fall between 8,000 BCE and 6,075 BCE.
What does WHG mean in an ancestry model?
WHG stands for western hunter-gatherer. In G25 and other ancestry models it is one of the usual sources for European ancestry, alongside early farmer and steppe sources, and shows how much of a person's ancestry traces back to Europe's Mesolithic foragers.