Avar DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Russia (Dagestan) · Caucasus
The Avars are the largest people of Dagestan, in the mountains of the north-eastern Caucasus, and their language belongs to the North-East Caucasian family; despite the shared name, they have no established link with the Avars of early medieval Europe. Dagestan is famous for its linguistic diversity, with dozens of languages in a small area. In our model, the Avar average is 40.2% steppe-related, 26.9% Caucasus hunter-gatherer, 17.9% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 10.3% Iranian Neolithic, 3.6% Levantine Neolithic and 1.0% East Asian, the highest steppe-related share of our Caucasus pages. This does not necessarily point to a recent arrival from the steppe: the closest ancient groups are among the oldest in the region, Early Bronze Age people of the Maykop era from Novosvobodnaya (distance 0.0245) and Eneolithic people from Nalchik with a North Caucasus piedmont profile. The nearest modern averages are neighbouring Andic peoples, the Godoberi (0.0060) and Botlikh, then Dargins, Laks and Tindals, all very close.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 40.2%, Caucasus hunter-gatherers 26.9%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 17.9%
- Closest modern population in our data: Godoberi, distance 0.0060
- Closest ancient group in our data: Adygea EBA Maykop Novosvobodnaya Tsarskaya, distance 0.0245
This page sums up what the DNA of the Avar sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Russia (Dagestan), and it is one of 335 populations in our atlas. An average describes the group as a whole, not any single person in it.
Ancient make-up of the Avar average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Avar average, 40.2%, goes to Steppe herders (Yamnaya), ahead of Caucasus hunter-gatherers (26.9%) and Anatolian Neolithic farmers (17.9%). The Steppe herders (Yamnaya) component 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. The Caucasus hunter-gatherers share (26.9%) reflects the hunter-gatherers of the Caucasus, a deep ancestry shared by the Caucasus, Anatolia and the Iranian plateau.
Smaller traces of Levantine Neolithic farmers and East Asian (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 acceptable (fit distance 0.026): 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 Avar
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Avar average is Godoberi, at a distance of 0.006 (very close). Next come Botlikh at 0.007 and Dargin at 0.008. Even the tenth closest, Bagvalin, is only 0.013 away: Avar belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Godoberi | 0.0060 | Very close |
| 2 | Botlikh | 0.0070 | Very close |
| 3 | Dargin | 0.0077 | Very close |
| 4 | Lak | 0.0092 | Very close |
| 5 | Tindal | 0.0093 | Very close |
| 6 | Darginian | 0.0103 | Very close |
| 7 | Chamalin | 0.0108 | Very close |
| 8 | Kubachi | 0.0116 | Very close |
| 9 | Akhvakh | 0.0121 | Very close |
| 10 | Bagvalin | 0.0126 | 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 Avar
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Avar average is Adygea EBA Maykop Novosvobodnaya Tsarskaya (Early Bronze Age), at 0.025. Kabardino-Balkaria Eneolithic Nalchik (Eneolithic Piedmont Steppe) and Ingushetia MBA Arkhon-Kudakhurt 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 | Adygea EBA Maykop Novosvobodnaya Tsarskaya | Early Bronze Age | 0.0245 |
| 2 | Kabardino-Balkaria Eneolithic Nalchik (Eneolithic Piedmont Steppe) | Copper Age (Chalcolithic) | 0.0339 |
| 3 | Ingushetia MBA Arkhon-Kudakhurt | Middle Bronze Age | 0.0362 |
| 4 | Stavropol Eneolithic Zolotarevka | Copper Age (Chalcolithic) | 0.0386 |
| 5 | Karachay-Cherkessia Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Alan | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0394 |
| 6 | Ukraine IA Scythian Pisochyn (Ciscaucasian Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0403 |
| 7 | Adygea LBA Dolmen Shushuk | Late Bronze Age | 0.0406 |
| 8 | Armenia EIA Lchashen-Metsamor Karnut | Early Iron Age | 0.0412 |
| 9 | Russia Rostov Eneolithic Remontnoye | Copper Age (Chalcolithic) | 0.0425 |
| 10 | Armenia MBA Trialeti | Middle Bronze Age | 0.0426 |
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 Avar 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 Avar
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Avar average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Avar 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 Avar individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Avar. 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 Avar 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 Caucasus
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Avar?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Avar average is about 40.2% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 26.9% Caucasus hunter-gatherers and 17.9% Anatolian Neolithic farmers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Avar?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Avar average are Godoberi, Botlikh and Dargin. The closest ancient matches are Adygea EBA Maykop Novosvobodnaya Tsarskaya, Kabardino-Balkaria Eneolithic Nalchik (Eneolithic Piedmont Steppe) and Ingushetia MBA Arkhon-Kudakhurt.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Avar?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Avar 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 Avar ancestry?
Ararat – Levant & Caucasus Report is our regional report for this part of the world. On the Avar 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.