Cappadocian Greek DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Turkey (historic Cappadocia) · Southern Europe
Cappadocia, in central Anatolia, was home to Greek-speaking Orthodox Christians and to Turkish-speaking ones, the Karamanlides, who wrote Turkish in the Greek alphabet. Both communities left for Greece in the population exchange of 1923. In our model, Cappadocian Greeks are 50.8% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 18.7% Caucasus hunter-gatherer, 16.2% Iranian Neolithic, 7.4% Natufian and 6.9% steppe. Compared with the Central Anatolian Turkish average, they carry more early farmer ancestry (50.8% against 37.8%) and no East Asian component (7.6% in that average), and compared with Pontic Greeks far less Caucasus-related ancestry (32.7% there). Their nearest neighbours are other old Christian communities of inner Anatolia: Greeks from Konya (Ikonio) at 0.0212, Armenians from Kayseri (Gesaria) and Karamanli Greeks from Nigde. The closest ancient groups are Roman to Late Antique people with a Central Anatolian Greek profile buried at Viminacium in Serbia (0.0252) and Byzantine-era Anatolians from Barcin.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Anatolian Neolithic farmers 50.8%, Caucasus hunter-gatherers 18.7%, Iranian Neolithic farmers 16.2%
- Closest modern population in our data: Greek (Lycaonia Ikonio), distance 0.0212
- Closest ancient group in our data: Serbia Roman Empire-Late Antiquity Viminacium Vise Grobalja (Central Anatolian Greek Profile), distance 0.0252
This page sums up what the DNA of the Cappadocian Greek sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Turkey (historic Cappadocia), listed in the G25 sheet as "Greek_Cappadocia", 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 Cappadocian Greek average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Cappadocian Greek average comes out as 50.8% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 18.7% Caucasus hunter-gatherers and 16.2% Iranian Neolithic farmers. The Anatolian Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC. The Caucasus hunter-gatherers share (18.7%) reflects the hunter-gatherers of the Caucasus, a deep ancestry shared by the Caucasus, Anatolia and the Iranian plateau.
The fit is acceptable (fit distance 0.033): 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.
Thalassa – Mediterranean Islander Report
Closest modern populations to Cappadocian Greek
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Greek (Lycaonia Ikonio) first for Cappadocian Greek, at 0.021, then Armenian (Gesaria) and Greek (Cappadocia Nigdi, Karamanli). Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Armenian (Gesaria) (0.025), Armenian (Lebanon) (0.026) and Armenian (Alashkert) (0.026). By the tenth closest (Pontic Greek) the distance grows to 0.031, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greek (Lycaonia Ikonio) | 0.0212 | Very close |
| 2 | Armenian (Gesaria) | 0.0245 | Very close |
| 3 | Greek (Cappadocia Nigdi, Karamanli) | 0.0257 | Close |
| 4 | Armenian (Lebanon) | 0.0262 | Close |
| 5 | Armenian (Alashkert) | 0.0263 | Close |
| 6 | Turkish (Sinop Northwest) | 0.0285 | Close |
| 7 | Armenian | 0.0290 | Close |
| 8 | Cypriot | 0.0299 | Close |
| 9 | Turkish Cypriot | 0.0303 | Close |
| 10 | Pontic Greek | 0.0306 | 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 Cappadocian Greek
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Cappadocian Greek average is Serbia Roman Empire-Late Antiquity Viminacium Vise Grobalja (Central Anatolian Greek Profile) (Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD), at 0.025, followed by Turkey Anatolia Hellenistic-Roman Republic Samsun (East Med-Anatolian Profile) and Italy Lazio Roman Empire-Late Antiquity Isola Sacra (East Anatolian Profile). 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 | Serbia Roman Empire-Late Antiquity Viminacium Vise Grobalja (Central Anatolian Greek Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0252 |
| 2 | Turkey Anatolia Hellenistic-Roman Republic Samsun (East Med-Anatolian Profile) | Roman Republic, c. 500-27 BC | 0.0263 |
| 3 | Italy Lazio Roman Empire-Late Antiquity Isola Sacra (East Anatolian Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0264 |
| 4 | Turkey Anatolia Early-High Medieval Barcin (Byzantine, Central Anatolian Greek Profile) | Byzantine era, c. 330-1450 AD | 0.0276 |
| 5 | Turkey Anatolia High Medieval Stratonikeia (East Med-Anatolian Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0287 |
| 6 | Italy Lazio Roman Empire Casale del Dolce (East Med-Anatolian Profile) | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.0292 |
| 7 | Turkey Anatolia IA Gordion (East Med-Anatolian Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0298 |
| 8 | Italy Lazio Roman Republic Tarquinia (East Anatolian Profile) | Roman Republic, c. 500-27 BC | 0.0300 |
| 9 | Turkey Anatolia Early-High Medieval Stratonikeia (East Med-Anatolian Profile) | Early to High Medieval, c. 500-1300 AD | 0.0300 |
| 10 | Croatia Roman Empire Zadar (Central Anatolian Greek Profile) | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.0301 |
Ancient DNA from Turkey
Our ancient DNA database holds 709 individuals excavated in present-day Turkey, dated from about 13,461 BC to 1573 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are J2a (68), G2a (60) and T1a (23), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are K1 (93), N1 (43) and T2 (43). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Cappadocian Greek population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Turkey
- 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)
- The cranium from the Octagon in Ephesos (2025)
- 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.
Compare yourself with Cappadocian Greek
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Cappadocian Greek average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Cappadocian Greek 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 Cappadocian Greek individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Cappadocian Greek. 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 Cappadocian Greek average. Your own DNA has its own story: Thalassa – Mediterranean Islander 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 Mediterranean-island ancestry: ancient regional core (Minoan, Mycenaean, Nuragic Sardinian, Phoenician, Sicani, Daunian) versus non-regional outside admixture, across 9 communities (Sicilian, Sardinian, Maltese...
More populations from Southern Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Cappadocian Greek?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Cappadocian Greek average is about 50.8% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 18.7% Caucasus hunter-gatherers and 16.2% Iranian Neolithic farmers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Cappadocian Greek?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Greek (Lycaonia Ikonio)), the closest modern populations to the Cappadocian Greek average are Armenian (Gesaria), Armenian (Lebanon) and Armenian (Alashkert). The closest ancient matches are Serbia Roman Empire-Late Antiquity Viminacium Vise Grobalja (Central Anatolian Greek Profile), Turkey Anatolia Hellenistic-Roman Republic Samsun (East Med-Anatolian Profile) and Italy Lazio Roman Empire-Late Antiquity Isola Sacra (East Anatolian Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Cappadocian Greek?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Cappadocian Greek 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 Cappadocian Greek ancestry?
For the Cappadocian Greek average, the regional report to choose is Thalassa – Mediterranean Islander Report, which our fit test rates as a good 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.