Pontic Greek DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Turkey (historic Pontus) · Southern Europe
Pontic Greeks come from the Pontus, the mountainous Black Sea coast of north-eastern Anatolia around Trabzon (Trebizond), where Greek-speaking communities lived from antiquity until the early 20th century; most of those who remained were moved to Greece in the population exchange of 1923. The Empire of Trebizond survived there until 1461. Genetically, Pontic Greeks reflect their region rather than the Aegean. In our model, they are 39.8% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 32.7% Caucasus hunter-gatherer, 13.9% Iranian Neolithic and 13.7% Levantine Neolithic, with no steppe component above the 1% threshold, compared with 33.0% steppe in the Peloponnese. The closest modern average is the Black Sea Turkish average from Trabzon (distance 0.0091), closer even than another Pontic Greek sample, followed by Turks from Gumushane and Rize and Armenians from Amasia. The closest ancient groups are Roman-era to Late Antique people from Beniamin in Armenia (0.0224), High Medieval people with an Armenian profile from Gaziantep and early medieval people from Samtavro in Georgia.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Anatolian Neolithic farmers 39.8%, Caucasus hunter-gatherers 32.7%, Iranian Neolithic farmers 13.9%
- Closest modern population in our data: Black Sea Turkish, distance 0.0091
- Closest ancient group in our data: Armenia Roman Republic-Late Antiquity Beniamin (Artaxiad-Arsacid), distance 0.0224
Where does Pontic Greek DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the Pontic Greek individuals sampled in Turkey (historic Pontus), listed in the G25 sheet as "Greek_Pontus" 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 Pontic Greek average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Pontic Greek average, 39.8%, goes to Anatolian Neolithic farmers, ahead of Caucasus hunter-gatherers (32.7%) and Iranian Neolithic farmers (13.9%). 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 (32.7%) 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 0.031): 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.
Closest modern populations to Pontic Greek
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Pontic Greek average is Black Sea Turkish, at a distance of 0.009 (very close). Next come Greek (Trabzon) at 0.010 and Turkish (Gumushane) at 0.014. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Black Sea Turkish (0.009), Turkish (Gumushane) (0.014) and Turkish (Rize) (0.019). Even the tenth closest, Turkish (Bayburt), is only 0.022 away: Pontic Greek belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Sea Turkish | 0.0091 | Very close |
| 2 | Greek (Trabzon) | 0.0101 | Very close |
| 3 | Turkish (Gumushane) | 0.0138 | Very close |
| 4 | Greek (Armenian Highland Erzurum) | 0.0172 | Very close |
| 5 | Turkish (Rize) | 0.0191 | Very close |
| 6 | Armenian (Amasia) | 0.0192 | Very close |
| 7 | Armenian (Hemshin) | 0.0198 | Very close |
| 8 | Armenian (Gesaria) | 0.0208 | Very close |
| 9 | Armenian | 0.0209 | Very close |
| 10 | Turkish (Bayburt) | 0.0220 | 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 Pontic Greek
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Pontic Greek average is Armenia Roman Republic-Late Antiquity Beniamin (Artaxiad-Arsacid) (Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD), at 0.022. Turkey Levant Gaziantep High Medieval (Armenian Profile) and Georgia Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Samtavro (Chosroid) 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 | Armenia Roman Republic-Late Antiquity Beniamin (Artaxiad-Arsacid) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0224 |
| 2 | Turkey Levant Gaziantep High Medieval (Armenian Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0227 |
| 3 | Georgia Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Samtavro (Chosroid) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0230 |
| 4 | Armenia Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Beniamin | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0249 |
| 5 | Armenia Late Antiquity Sarukhan (Arsacid) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0264 |
| 6 | Georgia Hellenistic-Roman Empire Natakhtari (Pharnavazid) | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.0270 |
| 7 | Turkey Anatolia High Medieval-Late Modern Bogazkoy (Pontic Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0280 |
| 8 | Armenia Achaemenid Beniamin (Orontid) | Achaemenid era, c. 550-330 BC | 0.0290 |
| 9 | Azerbaijan Caucasus lowlands LN | Late Neolithic | 0.0294 |
| 10 | Armenia Achaemenid-Hellenistic Noratus (Orontid) | Hellenistic era, c. 330-30 BC | 0.0300 |
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 Pontic 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 Pontic Greek
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Pontic Greek average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Pontic 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 Pontic Greek individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Pontic 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 Pontic Greek average. For your own DNA, Advanced Ancestry Report (16€) gives a full ancestry breakdown with no regional focus, in a personal PDF report.
Comprehensive DNA analysis comparing your genetics to over 2,000 modern reference populations.
More populations from Southern Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Pontic Greek?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Pontic Greek average is about 39.8% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 32.7% Caucasus hunter-gatherers and 13.9% 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 Pontic Greek?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Greek (Trabzon)), the closest modern populations to the Pontic Greek average are Black Sea Turkish, Turkish (Gumushane) and Turkish (Rize). The closest ancient matches are Armenia Roman Republic-Late Antiquity Beniamin (Artaxiad-Arsacid), Turkey Levant Gaziantep High Medieval (Armenian Profile) and Georgia Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Samtavro (Chosroid).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Pontic Greek?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Pontic 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 Pontic Greek ancestry?
Our regional report for this part of the world does not fit the Pontic Greek average closely, so the full Advanced Ancestry Report (no regional focus) is the better choice. The DNA Mega-Analysis adds Neanderthal %, traits and closest ancient populations. The free Report Finder checks every report against your own DNA first.
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.