Georgian Jewish DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Georgia · Caucasus
Georgian Jews, known in Georgia as Ebraeli, have lived in the South Caucasus for many centuries, by their own tradition since the time of the Babylonian exile, and their everyday language was Georgian, in a Jewish variety sometimes called Judeo-Georgian. Most emigrated to Israel from the 1970s onwards. Despite their long life in Georgia, their genetic profile points south. In our model, the Georgian Jewish average is 29.5% Levantine Neolithic, 24.6% Iranian Neolithic, 21.3% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 15.0% Caucasus hunter-gatherer and 9.6% steppe. The Caucasus hunter-gatherer share is much lower than among Georgians (42.1% in the Kartlian average). The nearest modern averages are Assyrians, from Iraq (distance 0.0119) and Hakkari in south-eastern Turkey, then Mountain Jews from Dagestan and Armenians from Bayazet, with no Georgian sample among the ten closest. The closest ancient groups are Iron Age Urartians from Van in eastern Turkey (0.0144), early medieval people from Dara in Upper Mesopotamia and Iron Age people from Hasanlu in Iran.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Levantine Neolithic farmers 29.5%, Iranian Neolithic farmers 24.6%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 21.3%
- Closest modern population in our data: Assyrian (Chaldean Catholic Iraq), distance 0.0119
- Closest ancient group in our data: Turkey Armenian Highland Van IA Urartian, distance 0.0144
This page sums up what the DNA of the Georgian Jewish sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Georgia, listed in the G25 sheet as "Georgian_Jew", 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 Georgian Jewish average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Georgian Jewish average, 29.5%, goes to Levantine Neolithic farmers, ahead of Iranian Neolithic farmers (24.6%) and Anatolian Neolithic farmers (21.3%). The Levantine Neolithic farmers component reflects the early farmers of the Levant and the Natufian foragers who came before them. The Iranian Neolithic farmers share (24.6%) reflects the early farmers and herders of the Zagros mountains in Iran. No single source dominates, so the profile is best read as a balanced blend of several ancient ancestries.
The fit is acceptable (fit distance 0.030): 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.
Am Yisrael – Jewish Diaspora Report
Closest modern populations to Georgian Jewish
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Assyrian (Chaldean Catholic Iraq) first for Georgian Jewish, at 0.012, then Assyrian (Turkey Hakkari) and Assyrian. Even the tenth closest, Armenian (Lebanon), is only 0.019 away: Georgian Jewish belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assyrian (Chaldean Catholic Iraq) | 0.0119 | Very close |
| 2 | Assyrian (Turkey Hakkari) | 0.0120 | Very close |
| 3 | Assyrian | 0.0121 | Very close |
| 4 | Assyrian (Iraq) | 0.0140 | Very close |
| 5 | Mountain Jew (Dagestan) | 0.0146 | Very close |
| 6 | Armenian (Bayazet) | 0.0153 | Very close |
| 7 | Kosewi | 0.0157 | Very close |
| 8 | Mountain Jewish (Juhuro) | 0.0174 | Very close |
| 9 | Mhallami | 0.0191 | Very close |
| 10 | Armenian (Lebanon) | 0.0193 | 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 Georgian Jewish
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Georgian Jewish, Turkey Armenian Highland Van IA Urartian (Iron Age) comes first, at 0.014, with Turkey Mesopotamia Early Medieval Dara (Mesopotamian Profile) 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 | Turkey Armenian Highland Van IA Urartian | Iron Age | 0.0144 |
| 2 | Turkey Mesopotamia Early Medieval Dara (Mesopotamian Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0161 |
| 3 | Iran IA Hasanlu (Mesopotamian/Armenian Highland Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0195 |
| 4 | Turkey Mesopotamia IA Neo-Assyrian-Achaemenid Batman (Mesopotamian Profile) | Achaemenid era, c. 550-330 BC | 0.0227 |
| 5 | Iran IA Hasanlu (Irano-Mesopotamian Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0241 |
| 6 | Italy Lazio Roman Empire Rome (Mesopotamian Profile) | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.0242 |
| 7 | Iran IA Dinkha Tepe (Mesopotamian/Armenian Highland Profile) | Iron Age | 0.0243 |
| 8 | Iraq IA Neo-Assyrian-Neo-Babylonian Bakr Awa | Iron Age | 0.0250 |
| 9 | Turkey Anatolia Late Antiquity Bogazkoy (Mesopotamian/Armenian Highland Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0257 |
| 10 | Iran LBA Hasanlu (Mesopotamian/Armenian Highland Profile) | Late Bronze Age | 0.0267 |
Ancient DNA from Georgia
Our ancient DNA database holds 253 individuals excavated in present-day Georgia, dated from about 24,400 BC to 1954 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are J2a (30), G2a (22) and I2a (20), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are T2 (27), K1 (16) and U3 (16). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Georgian Jewish population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 253 from Georgia.
Compare yourself with Georgian Jewish
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Georgian Jewish average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Georgian Jewish 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
Keep in mind that a population average is a statistical summary of a limited number of sampled individuals. Real people inside any group vary, some carry more of one ancestry and some less, and no genetic profile decides who is or is not Georgian Jewish. Use these numbers as a map of deep ancestry, not as a label.
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 Georgian Jewish average. Your own DNA has its own story: Am Yisrael – Jewish Diaspora 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 Jewish ancestry: ancient Israelite & Levantine core (Canaanite, Iron Age, Phoenician) plus the host admixture of your diaspora community, on a Jerusalem-centred animated map.
More populations from Caucasus
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Georgian Jewish?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Georgian Jewish average is about 29.5% Levantine Neolithic farmers, 24.6% Iranian Neolithic farmers and 21.3% 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 Georgian Jewish?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Georgian Jewish average are Assyrian (Chaldean Catholic Iraq), Assyrian (Turkey Hakkari) and Assyrian. The closest ancient matches are Turkey Armenian Highland Van IA Urartian, Turkey Mesopotamia Early Medieval Dara (Mesopotamian Profile) and Iran IA Hasanlu (Mesopotamian/Armenian Highland Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Georgian Jewish?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Georgian Jewish 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 Georgian Jewish ancestry?
Am Yisrael – Jewish Diaspora Report is the report built for this heritage, and its reference panel fits the Georgian Jewish average closely. 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.