Kura-Araxes ancestry map
Caucasus Bronze Age (Kura-Araxes, Armenia) · South Caucasus, about 3500 to 2500 BC
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.
Caucasus Bronze Age (Kura-Araxes, Armenia)
South Caucasus, about 3500 to 2500 BC
Faded dots are populations the model fits less well: read their values with care. Click the map to zoom with your mouse wheel.
Who were the Kura-Araxes people?
The Kura-Araxes culture, named after two rivers of the South Caucasus, lasted from about 3500 to 2500 BC. Its villages spread from Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan into eastern Anatolia and northwestern Iran, and its distinctive black, polished pottery is found as far south as the Levant.
The genomes used here come from a Kura-Araxes burial site at Kaps, in Armenia. Like other Bronze Age peoples of the Caucasus and eastern Anatolia, they carry a mix of ancestry related to the early farmers of Anatolia and ancestry related to the hunter-gatherers of the Caucasus and the Neolithic people of Iran. Studies of the region show a good deal of genetic continuity in the Armenian highlands from this period onward.
That makes Kura-Araxes a natural reference for the Caucasus, eastern Anatolia and the Armenian highlands, overlapping with what other models call Caucasus hunter-gatherer ancestry.
In our model, Kura-Araxes ancestry peaks today in Mingrelian Kurzu (Georgia), at 97.7%, followed by Mingrelian (Georgia) (96.6%) and Mingrelian Obuji (Georgia) (96.2%). All ten highest values come from Georgia. It reaches at least 5% in 498 of the 1,998 populations on the map, and at least 20% in 356 of them. On the world scale the colours run from 0 to 88.8%, the level reached by the top 2% of populations, so the deepest red marks the real hot spots.
Where Kura-Araxes ancestry peaks today
| # | Population | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mingrelian Kurzu Georgia | 97.7% |
| 2 | Mingrelian Georgia | 96.6% |
| 3 | Mingrelian Obuji Georgia | 96.2% |
| 4 | Georgian Megr Georgia | 95.7% |
| 5 | Mingrelian Kheta Georgia | 95.6% |
| 6 | Mingrelian Chkhorotsqu Georgia | 95.5% |
| 7 | Mingrelian Khobi Georgia | 95.5% |
| 8 | Mingrelian Norio Georgia | 95.4% |
| 9 | Mingrelian Jvari Georgia | 95.1% |
| 10 | Mingrelian Sujuna Georgia | 95.1% |
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
What was the Kura-Araxes culture?
A Bronze Age culture of the South Caucasus, from about 3500 to 2500 BC, named after the Kura and Araxes rivers. It spread from Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan into eastern Anatolia and northwestern Iran, and is known for its black, polished pottery.
Where is Kura-Araxes ancestry highest today?
In our model it is highest in Mingrelian Kurzu (Georgia) (97.7%), Mingrelian (Georgia) (96.6%) and Mingrelian Obuji (Georgia) (96.2%). These are averages of modern populations modelled with 17 reference sources, so individuals within each population can differ.
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.