How Germany's DNA changed over 10,000 years
Hunter-gatherers, the first farmers, the steppe herders and later arrivals: the genetic history of Germany period by period, read from 441 ancient genomes and compared with the people of Germany today.
What changed, period by period
- The oldest individuals of Germany in our data (Before 10,000 BC) are mostly of Western hunter-gatherer ancestry (29%).
- In 10,000 to 5,000 BC, Anatolian farmer ancestry rises from 3% to 84%: the spread of farmers whose ancestors came from Anatolia.
- In 5,000 to 3,000 BC, Western hunter-gatherer ancestry rises from 15% to 37%: local hunter-gatherer ancestry.
- In 3,000 to 1,000 BC, Eastern hunter-gatherer ancestry rises from 1% to 39%: the steppe migrations (Yamnaya and Corded Ware herders were about half Eastern hunter-gatherer and half Caucasus ancestry).
- In 1,000 BC to AD 1, Anatolian farmer ancestry rises from 44% to 57%: the spread of farmers whose ancestors came from Anatolia.
- In AD 1000 to 1800, Levantine farmer ancestry rises from 0% to 11%: people from the Levant and the eastern Mediterranean.
- Today, the people of Germany carry mostly Anatolian farmer 49%, Eastern hunter-gatherer 38%, Caucasus hunter-gatherer 8% ancestry.
📍 See the 770 ancient individuals of Germany on a map, with their cultures and haplogroups, or those closest to your town.
How to read this chart
Each bar is the average genome of the people of one period, rebuilt as a mix of a few very old "source" populations. Around 6,000 BC, farmers whose ancestors came from Anatolia spread across Europe and mixed with the local hunter-gatherers. From about 3,000 BC, herders from the steppes north of the Black Sea arrived; they were themselves about half Eastern hunter-gatherer and half Caucasus ancestry, which is why those two colours grow together. Later shifts come from people of the Levant and Iran, North Africa or the eastern steppes.
A period is shown when at least three dated individuals are published for it. These are broad averages: individuals vary, a small sample can be unrepresentative, and a share is a resemblance to the source population, not a count of ancestors. Sources: Western hunter-gatherers (France_Mesolithic, France_Mesolithic.AG, France_Mesolithic.SG); Eastern hunter-gatherers (Russia_Karelia_HG, Russia_Samara_HG.AG, Russia_Sidelkino_HG.SG); Anatolian farmers (Turkey_Marmara_Barcin_N, Turkey_Marmara_Barcin_N.AG, Turkey_Marmara_Barcin_N.SG); Caucasus hunter-gatherers (Georgia_Kotias_Mesolithic, Georgia_Kotias_Mesolithic.SG, Georgia_Satsurblia_LateUP.SG); Iranian farmers (Iran_GanjDareh_N, Iran_GanjDareh_N.AG); Levantine farmers (Israel_Natufian.AG, Israel_PPNB.AG); North African hunter-gatherers (Morocco_Iberomaurusian.AG); Sub-Saharan African (Yoruba, Esan_Nigeria, Mbuti); East Eurasian (Russia_DevilsCave_N, Russia_DevilsCave_N.SG); South Asian hunter-gatherers (Paniya).
"Today" = modern Global25 samples: German_East, German_Erlangen, German_Hamburg, German.