Samaritan DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Israel and Palestine · West Asia
The Samaritans are one of the smallest religious communities in the world, today numbering under a thousand people, who live on Mount Gerizim near Nablus and in Holon near Tel Aviv. They follow their own form of Israelite religion based on the Samaritan Pentateuch and have married mostly within the community for many centuries, which gives them a distinctive genetic profile. In our model, the Samaritan average is 35.3% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 26.8% Natufian, 21.1% Iranian Neolithic, 8.8% Caucasus hunter-gatherer and 8.0% Levantine Neolithic, with no West African component (3.3% in the Palestinian average). Partly because of that long isolation, no modern group is very close: the nearest are Jordanian and Palestinian Arab Christians (distances 0.0200 and 0.0229) and Lebanese Greek Orthodox Christians. The closest ancient groups are Middle Bronze Age Canaanites from Sidon (0.0216) and Late Bronze Age people from Ashkelon, which reflects the deep Levantine roots of the community.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Anatolian Neolithic farmers 35.3%, Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) 26.8%, Iranian Neolithic farmers 21.1%
- Closest modern population in our data: Jordanian Arab Christian, distance 0.0200
- Closest ancient group in our data: Lebanon MBA Sidon Canaanite, distance 0.0216
Where does Samaritan DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the Samaritan individuals sampled in Israel and Palestine 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 Samaritan average
The ancient make-up of the Samaritan average is led by Anatolian Neolithic farmers (35.3%), followed by Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) (26.8%) and Iranian Neolithic farmers (21.1%). The Anatolian Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC. The Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) share (26.8%) reflects the early farmers of the Levant and the Natufian foragers who came before them.
The fit is acceptable (fit distance 0.038): 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 Samaritan
Genetically, the Samaritan average sits nearest to Jordanian Arab Christian at 0.020, Palestinian Arab Christian at 0.023 and Lebanese Arab Christian (Greek Orthodox) at 0.027. On our scale, a distance of 0.020 counts as very close. By the tenth closest (Cypriot Arab Maronite) the distance grows to 0.035, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jordanian Arab Christian | 0.0200 | Very close |
| 2 | Palestinian Arab Christian | 0.0229 | Very close |
| 3 | Lebanese Arab Christian (Greek Orthodox) | 0.0273 | Close |
| 4 | Lebanese Arab Christian (Greek Orthodox Zgharta) | 0.0274 | Close |
| 5 | Lebanese Arab Christian (Greek Orthodox Koura) | 0.0285 | Close |
| 6 | Syrian Arab Christian (Melkite Greek Catholic) | 0.0308 | Close |
| 7 | Lebanese (Christian) | 0.0311 | Close |
| 8 | Syrian Arab Christian (Greek Orthodox) | 0.0336 | Close |
| 9 | Karaite (Iraq) | 0.0344 | Close |
| 10 | Cypriot Arab Maronite | 0.0351 | 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 Samaritan
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Samaritan, Lebanon MBA Sidon Canaanite (Middle Bronze Age) comes first, at 0.022, with Israel LBA Ashkelon 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 | Lebanon MBA Sidon Canaanite | Middle Bronze Age | 0.0216 |
| 2 | Israel LBA Ashkelon | Late Bronze Age | 0.0225 |
| 3 | Italy Lazio Roman Empire Isola Sacra (Levantine Profile) | Roman era, c. 1-400 AD | 0.0236 |
| 4 | Israel IAII Phoenician-Achaemenid Achziv | Achaemenid era, c. 550-330 BC | 0.0248 |
| 5 | Lebanon Late Antiquity-Early Medieval Ej-Jaouze (Byzantine-Rashidun) | Late Antiquity to Early Medieval, c. 250-1000 AD | 0.0262 |
| 6 | Israel MBA Hazor | Middle Bronze Age | 0.0266 |
| 7 | Israel IA Megiddo | Iron Age | 0.0267 |
| 8 | Israel LBA Megiddo | Late Bronze Age | 0.0275 |
| 9 | Lebanon IAIII Beirut | Iron Age | 0.0275 |
| 10 | Lebanon IAII Beirut | Iron Age | 0.0279 |
Ancient DNA from Israel
Our ancient DNA database holds 128 individuals excavated in present-day Israel, dated from about 11,343 BC to 1550 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are J1a (18), E1b (13) and T1a (11), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are T2 (14), H (9) and J2 (8). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Samaritan population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Israel
- Ancient DNA sheds light on the genetic origins of early Iron Age Philistines (2019)
- Ancient DNA from Chalcolithic Israel reveals the role of population mixture in cultural transformation (2018)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 128 from Israel.
Compare yourself with Samaritan
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Samaritan average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Samaritan 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 Samaritan individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Samaritan. 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 Samaritan 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 West Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Samaritan?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Samaritan average is about 35.3% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 26.8% Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) and 21.1% 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 Samaritan?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Samaritan average are Jordanian Arab Christian, Palestinian Arab Christian and Lebanese Arab Christian (Greek Orthodox). The closest ancient matches are Lebanon MBA Sidon Canaanite, Israel LBA Ashkelon and Italy Lazio Roman Empire Isola Sacra (Levantine Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Samaritan?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Samaritan 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 Samaritan ancestry?
For the Samaritan average, the regional report to choose is Ararat – Levant & Caucasus Report, which our fit test rates as an excellent 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.