Altaian DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Russia (Altai) · Siberia
The Altai mountains, where Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia meet, are often described as a cradle of the early Turks, whose first khaganate rose from this region in the 6th century, and the frozen Pazyryk burials show the wealth of earlier Iron Age horse cultures. Our Altaian average comes from the Altai Republic, where Altai Turkic is spoken by groups such as the Altai-Kizhi and Telengits. In our model, it is 58.7% Ancient Northeast Asian, 15.4% steppe, 12.1% Arctic Siberian, 7.2% Ancient North Eurasian, 4.6% Anatolian Neolithic farmer and 2.1% Iranian Neolithic. The closest ancient group fits the Turkic story: Early Medieval people of the Turkic period in Mongolia with a Turanian-mixed profile (0.0254), followed by Early Medieval Zhana-Aul in the Altai. Among modern averages, the closest are the Altai-Kizhi (0.0067), Telengits and Teles, then the Khakas to the north, who carry about twice the Altaian Ancient North Eurasian share (13.8%).
- Largest ancient components in our model: Ancient Northeast Asians 58.7%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 15.4%, Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) 12.1%
- Closest modern population in our data: Altai-Kizhi, distance 0.0067
- Closest ancient group in our data: Mongolia Early Medieval Turkic Period (Turanian-Mixed Profile), distance 0.0254
Altaian is one of the 335 modern populations in our population genetics atlas. The numbers on this page describe the average Global25 (G25) genome of the Altaian individuals sampled in Russia (Altai). Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Altaian average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Altaian average comes out as 58.7% Ancient Northeast Asians, 15.4% Steppe herders (Yamnaya) and 12.1% Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related). The Ancient Northeast Asians component reflects ancestry most common today in East Asia. The Steppe herders (Yamnaya) share (15.4%) reflects the Bronze Age herders of the Pontic-Caspian steppe (Yamnaya and related groups), whose ancestry spread across Europe and into Asia from about 3000 BC.
Smaller traces of Anatolian Neolithic farmers and Iranian Neolithic farmers (under 5% each) also appear. At that level they can reflect real minor ancestry, but also simple model noise, so they should not be over-read. The fit is loose (fit distance 0.048), which usually means that none of the available reference populations is a close stand-in for part of this ancestry, so read the percentages as rough. This population was modelled with a global set of reference populations (ancient genomes, plus modern stand-ins where no suitable ancient genome exists), because West Eurasian sources alone cannot describe it.
Turan – Silk Road & Central Asian Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to Altaian
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Altai-Kizhi first for Altaian, at 0.007, then Telengit and Altaian (Kizhi). Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Altai-Kizhi (0.007), Telengit (0.011) and Teles (0.015). By the tenth closest (Kalmyk (Buzava)) the distance grows to 0.051, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Altai-Kizhi | 0.0067 | Very close |
| 2 | Telengit | 0.0110 | Very close |
| 3 | Altaian (Kizhi) | 0.0126 | Very close |
| 4 | Teles | 0.0149 | Very close |
| 5 | Khakass (Kachins) | 0.0216 | Very close |
| 6 | Khakass (Koibals) | 0.0290 | Close |
| 7 | Mongol (Oirat Olot Xinjiang) | 0.0461 | Close |
| 8 | Mongol (Oirat Olot Inner Mongolia) | 0.0462 | Close |
| 9 | Kazakh (Gansu) | 0.0470 | Close |
| 10 | Kalmyk (Buzava) | 0.0505 | Moderate |
Distances are Euclidean distances between averaged G25 coordinates. On our scale, below 0.025 is very close, below 0.050 close, below 0.080 moderate, and beyond that distant.
Closest ancient populations to Altaian
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Altaian average is Mongolia Early Medieval Turkic Period (Turanian-Mixed Profile) (Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD), at 0.025, followed by Altai Early Medieval Zhana-Aul and Kazakhstan Late Antiquity Hun Elite Kurayly. That is a close match: much of the modern profile was already present then, while later movements of people added further layers. A close ancient match is not proof of direct descent: it means those individuals carried a similar overall mix of ancestry.
| # | Ancient sample or group | Period | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mongolia Early Medieval Turkic Period (Turanian-Mixed Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0254 |
| 2 | Altai Early Medieval Zhana-Aul | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0296 |
| 3 | Kazakhstan Late Antiquity Hun Elite Kurayly | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0391 |
| 4 | Xinjiang IA Unknown Site | Iron Age | 0.0415 |
| 5 | Mongolia LBA DSKC Uvs | Late Bronze Age | 0.0454 |
| 6 | Kazakhstan Late Antiquity Aktas | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0484 |
| 7 | Hungary Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Ostrogoth Period (Hun Elite Profile) | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0487 |
| 8 | Hungary Late Antiquity Hun Elite | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0509 |
| 9 | Russia Samara Early Medieval Malaya Ryazan' Novinki (East Asian-Mixed Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0520 |
| 10 | Hungary Late Antiquity Hun (Hun Elite Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0523 |
Ancient DNA from Russia
Our ancient DNA database holds 2,938 individuals excavated in present-day Russia, dated from about 208,050 BC to 1918 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R1a (370), R1b (317) and N1a (235), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are U5 (367), U4 (226) and U2 (150). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Altaian population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Russia
- The Yeniseian and Andronovo Substrates in the Gene Pools of the Indigenous Southern Siberian Populations Analyzed by Q and R1a Y-Haplogroups (2026)
- Ancient genomics study reveals low HLA diversity in eastern hunter-gatherers (2026)
- Comparison of Illumina NovaSeq 6000, GeneMind SURFSeq 5000, Salus Evo, and MGI DNBSEQ-G400 for Ancient DNA Whole-Genome Sequencing (2026)
- Biochip for Determination of 92 Human Y-Chromosome Haplogroups by SNP Markers and Frequency Distribution of These Haplogroups in Slavic Population of European Russia (2026)
- Modern descendants of Kyordyughen warrior (Yakutia, 4200 years before present) in populations of Far East (2026)
- Genetic history of Rus' (2025)
- Paratyphoid Fever and Relapsing Fever in 1812 Napoleon’s Devastated Army (2025)
- Pre-Slavic and Slavic Interaction at Eastern Periphery of Slavic Expansion in Northeastern Europe (Y-Gene Pools of Volga-Oka Region) (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 2,938 from Russia.
Compare yourself with Altaian
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Altaian average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Altaian and its neighbours. To find out which of our reports actually fits your DNA, run the free Report Finder: it runs the same fit test that every report uses before an order.
No G25 coordinates yet? Get a free simulated G25 from your raw DNA file, or order G25 coordinates.
About these numbers
A word of caution: these figures describe the average of the Altaian individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Altaian. Individuals vary around that average, and identity is about history, language and family, not about a genetic score. Read this page as a map of deep ancestry, not as a definition.
Method: averaged G25 coordinates, Euclidean distances to other modern and ancient averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations (data generated 2026-10-01). Read the full method.
Go deeper than the average
This page describes the Altaian average. Your own DNA has its own story: Turan – Silk Road & Central Asian Ancestry Report (15€) models your genome against the ancient sources and modern communities of the region, era by era, in a personal PDF report.
A report built for people of Central Asian / Silk Road Turkic ancestry: ancient regional core (Botai, Andronovo, BMAC Bactria-Margiana, Saka/Scythian, Wusun, Kushan Empire, Xiongnu, Turkic Khaganate, Golden Horde) versus non-regional...
More populations from Siberia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Altaian?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Altaian average is about 58.7% Ancient Northeast Asians, 15.4% Steppe herders (Yamnaya) and 12.1% Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Altaian?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Altaian (Kizhi)), the closest modern populations to the Altaian average are Altai-Kizhi, Telengit and Teles. The closest ancient matches are Mongolia Early Medieval Turkic Period (Turanian-Mixed Profile), Altai Early Medieval Zhana-Aul and Kazakhstan Late Antiquity Hun Elite Kurayly.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Altaian?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Altaian average and to its neighbours. If you have G25 coordinates, paste them in the comparison box on this page to check that for free.
Which ExploreYourDNA report suits Altaian ancestry?
Turan – Silk Road & Central Asian Ancestry Report is our regional report for this part of the world. On the Altaian average its fit test reads partial, so check your own DNA first: the free Report Finder runs that test on your file.
Where does the data on this page come from?
From the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the sampled individuals: genetic distances to other modern and ancient population averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations. The full method is described at https://www.exploreyourdna.com/populations#method.