Greek DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Greece · Southern Europe
Greece has one of the longest farming histories in Europe, and its genetic profile is a clear example of the southern European pattern. This page uses the Peloponnese average. In our model, 57.8% of the ancestry comes from Anatolian Neolithic farmers, the people who brought agriculture to the Aegean more than 8,000 years ago. Steppe-related ancestry accounts for 33.0%, with smaller shares linked to Iranian Neolithic farmers (4.6%) and Natufian hunter-gatherers of the Levant (4.5%). Ancient DNA shows that Bronze Age Aegean peoples, including the Minoans and Mycenaeans, descended mostly from early farmers with some ancestry related to the Caucasus and Iran, and that steppe-related ancestry reached mainland Greece during the Bronze Age. The closest modern averages are other Peloponnese samples, from Achaea and Elis, followed by the Arbereshe (the Albanian-speaking communities of southern Italy) and Tosk Albanians. The closest ancient matches are early medieval individuals with a Central Mediterranean profile buried in Avar-period cemeteries in present-day Hungary.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Anatolian Neolithic farmers 57.8%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 33.0%, Iranian Neolithic farmers 4.6%
- Closest modern population in our data: Greek (Peloponnese Achaea), distance 0.0057
- Closest ancient group in our data: Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Late (Central Med Profile), distance 0.0161
This page sums up what the DNA of the Greek sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Greece, listed in the G25 sheet as "Greek_Peloponnese", 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 Greek average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Greek average comes out as 57.8% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 33.0% Steppe herders (Yamnaya) and 4.6% Iranian Neolithic farmers. The Anatolian Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC. The Steppe herders (Yamnaya) share (33.0%) 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 Iranian Neolithic farmers and Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) (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 model fits well (fit distance 0.022), so these proportions are a reasonable summary. 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 Greek
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Greek (Peloponnese Achaea) first for Greek, at 0.006, then Greek (Elis) and Arbereshe. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Arbereshe (0.012), Albanian Tosk (0.015) and Albanian Tosk (Cham Greece) (0.020). Even the tenth closest, Italian (Apulia, Apulian), is only 0.022 away: Greek belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greek (Peloponnese Achaea) | 0.0057 | Very close |
| 2 | Greek (Elis) | 0.0067 | Very close |
| 3 | Arbereshe | 0.0115 | Very close |
| 4 | Albanian Tosk | 0.0152 | Very close |
| 5 | Albanian Tosk (Cham Greece) | 0.0202 | Very close |
| 6 | East Rumelian | 0.0204 | Very close |
| 7 | Italian | 0.0210 | Very close |
| 8 | Albanian Gheg | 0.0210 | Very close |
| 9 | Italian (Molise, Molisan) | 0.0213 | Very close |
| 10 | Italian (Apulia, Apulian) | 0.0215 | 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 Greek
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Greek average is Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Late (Central Med Profile) (Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD), at 0.016. Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Middle (Central Med Profile) and Hungary Early Medieval Lombard Period (Central Med Profile) 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 | Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Late (Central Med Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0161 |
| 2 | Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Middle (Central Med Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0200 |
| 3 | Hungary Early Medieval Lombard Period (Central Med Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0205 |
| 4 | Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Early/Middle (Central Med Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0207 |
| 5 | Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period (Central Med Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0222 |
| 6 | Austria Early Medieval Avar Period (Central Med Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0227 |
| 7 | Hungary Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Avar Period (Central Med Profile) | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0230 |
| 8 | Hungary Early Medieval Conqueror Period (Central Med Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0233 |
| 9 | Turkey Anatolia Early Modern Zeytinliada (Balkan/Western Anatolian Greek Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0234 |
| 10 | Hungary Early Medieval Ostrogoth-Avar Period (Central Med Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0237 |
Ancient DNA from Greece
Our ancient DNA database holds 372 individuals excavated in present-day Greece, dated from about 7,567 BC to 1941 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are J2a (52), G2a (20) and R1b (20), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are H (37), K1 (29) and T2 (24). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Greek population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
| Haplogroup | Individuals | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| J2a | 52 | G37 Kou01 HGC006-035 |
| G2a | 20 | APO037 APO044 APO029 |
| R1b | 20 | CGG_2_023928_023929 CGG_2_105030 CGG_2_022398 |
| J1a | 11 | NST001 HGC002 HGC005 |
| I2a | 8 | NST004 G23 Sarakina02 |
| T1a | 7 | HGC010 HGC055-065 CGG_2_023831 |
| E1b | 6 | CGG_2_022415 GLI002 XAN016 |
| J2b | 6 | CGG_2_022411 MYG001 MYG006 |
Most frequent mtDNA haplogroups
| Haplogroup | Individuals | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| H | 37 | HGC045 Fr-63 Pta08 |
| K1 | 29 | Theo5 Theo1 Nea3 |
| T2 | 24 | CGG_2_023925 LAZ017 G76a |
| H1 | 22 | I0073 CGG_2_022370 CGG_2_023899 |
| H5 | 12 | G23 I0074 HGC017-023-029 |
| J1 | 12 | Pal7 G31 G62 |
| T1 | 11 | I3708 Minoan9H CGG_2_105030 |
| X2 | 11 | Rev5 XER01 XER05 |
Ancient DNA studies on Greece
- The plague of Athens (430–427 BC): Integration of historical, clinical, and ancient DNA data supports an invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica etiology (2026)
- Urban survival, population dynamics and historical transitions in Thessaloniki (316 BC-AD 1500) (2026)
- Uniparental analysis of Deep Maniot Greeks reveals genetic continuity from the pre-Medieval era (2026)
- Genetic affinities between an ancient Greek colony and its metropolis: the case of Amvrakia in western Greece (2025)
- A finely resolved phylogeny of Y chromosome Hg J illuminates the processes of Phoenician and Greek colonizations in the Mediterranean (2018)
- Genetic origins of the Minoans and Mycenaeans (2017)
- Early farmers from across Europe directly descended from Neolithic Aegeans (2015)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 372 from Greece.
Compare yourself with Greek
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Greek average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers 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 Greek individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as 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 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 Greek?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Greek average is about 57.8% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 33.0% Steppe herders (Yamnaya) and 4.6% 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 Greek?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Greek (Peloponnese Achaea)), the closest modern populations to the Greek average are Arbereshe, Albanian Tosk and Albanian Tosk (Cham Greece). The closest ancient matches are Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Late (Central Med Profile), Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Middle (Central Med Profile) and Hungary Early Medieval Lombard Period (Central Med Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Greek?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled 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 Greek ancestry?
Thalassa – Mediterranean Islander Report is our regional report for this part of the world. On the Greek 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.