At a glance
- When
- about 3300 to 2600 BCE
- Where
- the Pontic-Caspian steppe of today's Ukraine and southern Russia
- Entries in our catalogue
- 305 (230 individual genomes)
- Countries of the finds
- 9
What ancient DNA shows
Yamnaya individuals carried roughly equal deep shares of Eastern European hunter-gatherer ancestry and ancestry related to hunter-gatherers and farmers of the Caucasus and Iran, with a small amount from European farmers. A 2025 study in Nature traced the formation of this population to a mixing on the steppe in the fifth and fourth millennia BCE.
Within a few centuries of 3000 BCE, Yamnaya related ancestry spread west into Europe through the Corded Ware and Bell Beaker horizons and east to the Altai. Most Yamnaya men belonged to Y-chromosome haplogroup R1b, in a branch different from the one common in Western Europe today.
Their genetic legacy today
Steppe ancestry is found in almost all present-day Europeans, at its highest in northern Europe, and in many populations of Central and South Asia. Many researchers link its spread to the spread of Indo-European languages.
Yamnaya samples in the MYDNATLAS catalogue
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 305 entries whose culture label names the Yamnaya. 230 of them are individual genomes; the others are reference entries, such as averages of several individuals, and samples flagged as outliers. Half of the 305 dated entries fall between 2,950 BCE and 2,718 BCE, with a median of 2,800 BCE.
Where they were found
| Country | Entries |
|---|---|
| Russia | 188 |
| Ukraine | 32 |
| Moldova | 20 |
| Bulgaria | 17 |
| Hungary | 17 |
| Kazakhstan | 15 |
| Romania | 9 |
| Serbia | 5 |
Most common labels
| Label | Entries |
|---|---|
| Yamnaya (Russia) | 139 |
| Yamnaya Culture | 51 |
| Yamnaya (Kazakhstan) | 12 |
| Yamnaya-Related Steppe | 11 |
| Yamnaya (Moldova) | 10 |
| Bronze Age Romania (Yamnaya) | 9 |
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 Yamnaya
To see how close you sit to Yamnaya 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 Yamnaya samples does MYDNATLAS hold?
Our ancient DNA catalogue holds 305 entries labelled as Yamnaya, of which 230 are individual genomes; the rest are reference entries such as group averages, and flagged outliers. Figures measured 2026-10-17.
Where were the Yamnaya samples found?
They come from 9 countries, most often Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria and Hungary. Half of the dated entries fall between 2,950 BCE and 2,718 BCE.
How much Yamnaya ancestry do Europeans have?
It varies by region. Steppe related ancestry is generally higher in northern and eastern Europe and lower in southern Europe, especially in Sardinia. A DNA analysis that models your coordinates against Bronze Age populations can estimate your own share.