How Italy's DNA changed over 10,000 years
Hunter-gatherers, the first farmers, the steppe herders and later arrivals: the genetic history of Italy period by period, read from 584 ancient genomes and compared with the people of Italy today.
What changed, period by period
- The oldest individuals of Italy in our data (Before 10,000 BC) are mostly of Western hunter-gatherer ancestry (90%).
- In 10,000 to 5,000 BC, Anatolian farmer ancestry rises from 3% to 52%: the spread of farmers whose ancestors came from Anatolia.
- In 5,000 to 3,000 BC, Anatolian farmer ancestry rises from 52% to 87%: the spread of farmers whose ancestors came from Anatolia.
- In 1,000 BC to AD 1, Eastern hunter-gatherer ancestry rises from 3% to 17%: the steppe migrations (Yamnaya and Corded Ware herders were about half Eastern hunter-gatherer and half Caucasus ancestry).
- In AD 1 to 1000, Levantine farmer ancestry rises from 0% to 9%: people from the Levant and the eastern Mediterranean.
- Today, the people of Italy carry mostly Anatolian farmer 62%, Eastern hunter-gatherer 21%, Caucasus hunter-gatherer 10% ancestry.
📍 See the 780 ancient individuals of Italy 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: Italian_Abruzzo, Italian_Aosta_Valley, Italian_Apulia, Italian_Basilicata, Italian_Bergamo, Italian_Calabria, Italian_Campania, Italian_Emilia, Italian_Friuli_Venezia_Giulia_Sappada, Italian_Jew, Italian_Lazio, Italian_Liguria.