Ancient Ancestry Maps
Where 17 ancient ancestries peak today, mapped across 1,998 present-day populations.
How to read these maps: pale yellow means little or none of the selected ancestry, orange a medium share and deep red the highest values. Each dot is the average of a modern population: hover or tap it to see its numbers. Areas with no samples nearby stay blank.
Steppe herders (Yamnaya, Samara)
Pontic-Caspian steppe, about 3300 to 2600 BC
Faded dots are populations the model fits less well: read their values with care. Click the map to zoom with your mouse wheel.
What these maps show
Everyone alive today carries ancestry from many ancient populations. These maps show, for 17 well-studied ancient and modern reference sources, how much of each one is needed to model the average DNA of 1,998 present-day populations, and where that share is highest.
Each population average is fitted as a mix of the same 17 sources: Ice Age and Mesolithic hunter-gatherers of Europe and North Africa, the first farmers of Anatolia, the Levant and Iran, Bronze Age peoples of the steppe, the Caucasus and the Indus world, and modern references for Africa, East Asia, Siberia and the Americas. The colour surface then fills the space between sampled places, and stays blank where we have no data.
The map opens on steppe ancestry. Pick any of the 17 sources above to switch, zoom in to see regional contrasts, and set the scale to the visible area to compare places that look alike on the world scale, such as the regions of France.
Where steppe ancestry peaks today
| # | Population | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Udmurt Russia | 57.7% |
| 2 | Lithuanian PZ Lithuania | 56.2% |
| 3 | Estonian Estonia | 56.0% |
| 4 | Latvian Latvia | 56.0% |
| 5 | Votian Russia | 55.7% |
| 6 | Besermyan Russia | 55.6% |
| 7 | Polish Mazovia Poland | 55.3% |
| 8 | Russian Arkhangelsk Leshukonsky Russia | 55.2% |
| 9 | Lithuanian South Zemaitija Lithuania | 55.1% |
| 10 | Lithuanian North Zemaitija Lithuania | 55.0% |
Averages of modern populations, modelled with 17 reference sources. Tap a name to find it on the map.
The 17 ancestral sources
About these numbers
These maps show model estimates for population averages, not ethnic labels and not the result of any one person. Each source stands in for a wider ancestral population, and ancestries that have no source of their own in this set, such as Oceanian or Khoe-San ancestry, are absorbed by their closest relatives among the 17. Populations the model fits less well are shown with faded dots and count less in the colour surface.
Method: Each population average (Global25 coordinates) is modelled as a mix of 17 ancient and modern reference groups with non-negative least squares, shares adding up to 100%. Fit is the distance between the population and its best mix: the lower the better, above 0.06 the mix explains the population poorly. Top lists leave out the few populations these 17 groups cannot model at all (fit above 0.15). Data generated 1 October 2026, 1,998 populations on the map.
Keep exploring
For the full picture of one population, the Population Genetics Atlas has a page for each of hundreds of modern populations, with its ancient make-up and its closest modern and ancient neighbours.
Curious about your own DNA? The free Report Finder tests which of our reports fits your G25 coordinates, before you order anything.
Frequently asked questions
How are these ancient ancestry maps made?
Each modern population average, taken from published G25 coordinates, is modelled as a mix of the same 17 ancient and modern reference sources with a non-negative least-squares fit, the same family of method our reports use. The map then interpolates the share of the selected source between the sampled places and leaves areas with no nearby samples blank.
Does a high value mean direct descent from these people?
No. Each source stands in for a broader ancestral population, and the 17 sources are fitted together, so closely related sources can trade shares between them. Read a value as how much of this kind of ancestry the model needs to describe a population average, not as a family tree.
Why are some areas of the map blank?
The colour surface is only drawn within a few hundred kilometres of real samples. Oceans and regions without data stay empty instead of showing invented values. Each dot on the map is a real population average.
What does the visible area scale do?
By default the colours run from 0 to the level reached by the top 2% of populations worldwide, so every map is read the same way. The visible area option stretches the colours between the lowest and highest values in view, which brings out contrasts inside a region, for example between the departments of France.
Can I see these ancient components in my own DNA?
These maps show population averages only. To learn which of our reports fits your own DNA, run the free Report Finder on your G25 coordinates; our ancestry reports then model your genome against ancient sources like these.