Assyrian DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Iraq, Iran, Syria, Turkey · West Asia
Assyrian communities, mostly Christian and speaking Neo-Aramaic languages, historically lived in northern Mesopotamia, across present-day Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey. In our model, their ancestry is 27.5% Iranian Neolithic farmer, 26.6% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 23.2% Levantine Neolithic farmer and 14.8% Caucasus hunter-gatherer, with smaller steppe (6.2%) and Natufian (1.8%) shares. This balanced blend of Zagros, Anatolian, Levantine and Caucasus sources is typical of the ancient populations of the region. The closest ancient groups in our data are Iron Age people from Hasanlu, a Neo-Assyrian to Achaemenid-era population from Batman in southeastern Turkey and Iron Age Urartians from Van, followed by early medieval Dara and Early Modern Midyat. The closest modern averages are Assyrians from Hakkari and Iraq, followed by Mountain Jews from Dagestan, Georgian Jews, Armenians from Bayazet and Chaldeans from Iraq.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Iranian Neolithic farmers 27.5%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 26.6%, Levantine Neolithic farmers 23.2%
- Closest modern population in our data: Assyrian (Turkey Hakkari), distance 0.0063
- Closest ancient group in our data: Iran IA Hasanlu (Mesopotamian/Armenian Highland Profile), distance 0.0161
Where does Assyrian DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the Assyrian individuals sampled in Iraq, Iran, Syria, Turkey and compare them with deep ancestral reference populations, with other modern groups and with ancient genomes. It is one of 335 populations in our atlas.
Ancient make-up of the Assyrian average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Assyrian average, 27.5%, goes to Iranian Neolithic farmers, ahead of Anatolian Neolithic farmers (26.6%) and Levantine Neolithic farmers (23.2%). The Iranian Neolithic farmers component reflects the early farmers and herders of the Zagros mountains in Iran. The Anatolian Neolithic farmers share (26.6%) reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC. No single source dominates, so the profile is best read as a balanced blend of several ancient ancestries.
Smaller traces of Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) (under 5%) 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 acceptable (fit distance 0.034): treat the proportions as a good approximation rather than exact values. The model draws on West Eurasian ancient genomes, with modern West African and East Asian stand-ins.
Ararat – Levant & Caucasus Report
Closest modern populations to Assyrian
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Assyrian average is Assyrian (Turkey Hakkari), at a distance of 0.006 (very close). Next come Assyrian (Iraq) at 0.009 and Mountain Jew (Dagestan) at 0.012. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Mountain Jew (Dagestan) (0.012), Georgian Jewish (0.012) and Armenian (Bayazet) (0.014). Even the tenth closest, Armenian (Ararat), is only 0.018 away: Assyrian belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assyrian (Turkey Hakkari) | 0.0063 | Very close |
| 2 | Assyrian (Iraq) | 0.0085 | Very close |
| 3 | Mountain Jew (Dagestan) | 0.0117 | Very close |
| 4 | Georgian Jewish | 0.0121 | Very close |
| 5 | Armenian (Bayazet) | 0.0143 | Very close |
| 6 | Mountain Jewish (Juhuro) | 0.0145 | Very close |
| 7 | Chaldean (Iraq) | 0.0171 | Very close |
| 8 | Mountain Jew (Azerbaijan) | 0.0179 | Very close |
| 9 | Armenian (Alashkert) | 0.0180 | Very close |
| 10 | Armenian (Ararat) | 0.0181 | Very close |
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 Assyrian
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Assyrian average is Iran IA Hasanlu (Mesopotamian/Armenian Highland Profile) (Iron Age), at 0.016. Turkey Mesopotamia IA Neo-Assyrian-Achaemenid Batman (Mesopotamian Profile) and Turkey Armenian Highland Van IA Urartian come next. That is a very close match, which suggests strong genetic continuity between those ancient people (or close relatives of theirs) and the modern population. 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 | Iran IA Hasanlu (Mesopotamian/Armenian Highland Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0161 |
| 2 | Turkey Mesopotamia IA Neo-Assyrian-Achaemenid Batman (Mesopotamian Profile) | Achaemenid era, c. 550-330 BC | 0.0163 |
| 3 | Turkey Armenian Highland Van IA Urartian | Iron Age | 0.0181 |
| 4 | Turkey Mesopotamia Early Medieval Dara (Mesopotamian Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0199 |
| 5 | Turkey Mesopotamia Early Modern Midyat (Mesopotamian Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0218 |
| 6 | Iran IA Dinkha Tepe (Mesopotamian/Armenian Highland Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0225 |
| 7 | Iraq IA Neo-Assyrian-Neo-Babylonian Bakr Awa | Iron Age | 0.0227 |
| 8 | Italy Lazio Roman Empire Rome (Mesopotamian Profile) | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.0228 |
| 9 | Iran IA Hasanlu (Irano-Mesopotamian Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0241 |
| 10 | Turkey Anatolia Late Antiquity Bogazkoy (Mesopotamian/Armenian Highland Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0271 |
Ancient DNA from Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq
Our ancient DNA database holds 955 individuals excavated in present-day Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq, dated from about 13,461 BC to 1573 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are J2a (85), G2a (63) and J1a (31), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are K1 (107), T2 (53) and H (51). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Assyrian population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq
- Out-of-Anatolia: Cultural and genetic interactions during the Neolithic expansion in the Aegean (2025)
- Female lineages and changing kinship patterns in Neolithic Çatalhöyük (2025)
- Identification of Haplogroups and Molecular Markers in Skeletal Samples Excavated from the Ancient City of Resuloglu (Ugurludag, Çorum) (2025)
- Inequality at the Dawn of the Bronze Age: The Case of Basur Höyük, a ‘Royal’ Cemetery at the Margins of the Mesopotamian World (2025)
- Ancient DNA indicates 3,000 years of genetic continuity in the Northern Iranian Plateau, from the Copper Age to the Sassanid Empire (2025)
- The cranium from the Octagon in Ephesos (2025)
- Large-Scale Assessment of the Iranian population structure of Mitochondrial and Y-chromosome Haplogroups (2024)
- The genetic structure of the Turkish population reveals high levels of variation and admixture (2021)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 709 from Turkey, 184 from Iran, 51 from Syria, 11 from Iraq.
Compare yourself with Assyrian
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Assyrian average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Assyrian 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 Assyrian individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Assyrian. 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 Assyrian average. Your own DNA has its own story: Ararat – Levant & Caucasus 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 Levant or Caucasus ancestry: ancient regional core (Levant Iron Age, Caucasus Hunter-Gatherer, Kura-Araxes Bronze Age) versus non-regional outside admixture, across 13 communities (Maronite, Druze, Sunni...
More populations from West Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Assyrian?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Assyrian average is about 27.5% Iranian Neolithic farmers, 26.6% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 23.2% Levantine Neolithic farmers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Assyrian?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Assyrian (Turkey Hakkari)), the closest modern populations to the Assyrian average are Mountain Jew (Dagestan), Georgian Jewish and Armenian (Bayazet). The closest ancient matches are Iran IA Hasanlu (Mesopotamian/Armenian Highland Profile), Turkey Mesopotamia IA Neo-Assyrian-Achaemenid Batman (Mesopotamian Profile) and Turkey Armenian Highland Van IA Urartian.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Assyrian?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Assyrian 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 Assyrian ancestry?
For the Assyrian average, the regional report to choose is Ararat – Levant & Caucasus Report, which our fit test rates as an excellent match. Your own DNA may differ from the average, so the free Report Finder checks every report against your file before you buy.
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.