Sardinian DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Italy · Southern Europe
Sardinians are one of the clearest cases of genetic continuity in Europe. In our model, 82.2% of their ancestry comes from Anatolian Neolithic farmers, the highest share in our whole atlas, with 12.8% Western hunter-gatherer and only 4.9% steppe. Ancient DNA confirms that the island's population descends largely from the early farmers who settled it in the Neolithic, and that the steppe-related ancestry which reshaped most of mainland Europe in the Bronze Age reached Sardinia only in small amounts. This is why modern Sardinians are often used as the closest living reference for Europe's first farmers. The closest ancient groups in our data are Bronze Age and Copper Age people from mainland Italy, such as the Polada culture of Trentino and La Sassa in Lazio, both at very close distances. Outside Sardinia itself, the nearest modern averages, from Corsica, are already at a moderate distance (0.0742).
- Ancient components in our model: Anatolian Neolithic farmers 82.2%, Western hunter-gatherers 12.8%, Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 4.9%
- Closest modern population outside Sardinia: French (Corsica), distance 0.0742
- Closest ancient group in our data: Italy Trentino EBA Polada Romagnano, distance 0.0232
Sardinian is one of the 335 modern populations in our population genetics atlas. The numbers on this page describe the average Global25 (G25) genome of the Sardinian individuals sampled in Italy. Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Sardinian average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Sardinian average comes out as 82.2% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 12.8% Western hunter-gatherers and 4.9% Steppe herders (Yamnaya). The Anatolian Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC. With well over half of the total, this single source dominates the profile.
Smaller traces of Steppe herders (Yamnaya) (under 5%) also appear. At that level they can reflect real minor ancestry, but also simple model noise, so they should not be over-read. 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 Sardinian
Genetically, the Sardinian average sits nearest to Italian (Sardinia North, Sardinian) at 0.009, Italian (Sardinia Benetutti, Sardinian) at 0.015 and Italian (Sardinia Sulcis-Iglesiente, Sardinian) at 0.022. On our scale, a distance of 0.009 counts as very close. By the tenth closest (Spanish) the distance grows to 0.086, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian (Sardinia North, Sardinian) | 0.0087 | Very close |
| 2 | Italian (Sardinia Benetutti, Sardinian) | 0.0151 | Very close |
| 3 | Italian (Sardinia Sulcis-Iglesiente, Sardinian) | 0.0217 | Very close |
| 4 | French (Corsica) | 0.0742 | Moderate |
| 5 | Corsican (Corse-du-Sud) | 0.0751 | Moderate |
| 6 | Spanish (La Rioja) | 0.0836 | Distant |
| 7 | Spanish (Murcia, Murcian) | 0.0849 | Distant |
| 8 | Spanish (Baleares Menorca, Catalan) | 0.0853 | Distant |
| 9 | Lombard | 0.0854 | Distant |
| 10 | Spanish | 0.0856 | Distant |
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 Sardinian
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Sardinian average is Italy Trentino EBA Polada Romagnano (Early Bronze Age), at 0.023, followed by Italy Lazio CA La Sassa and Italy Trentino MBA Stenico Calferi. 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 | Italy Trentino EBA Polada Romagnano | Early Bronze Age | 0.0232 |
| 2 | Italy Lazio CA La Sassa | Copper Age (Chalcolithic) | 0.0234 |
| 3 | Italy Trentino MBA Stenico Calferi | Middle Bronze Age | 0.0249 |
| 4 | Italy Lazio Late Antiquity Rome (Sardinian Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0266 |
| 5 | Italy Sicily EBA | Early Bronze Age | 0.0270 |
| 6 | Italy Emilia Bell Beaker (Low Steppe Profile) | Copper to Bronze Age (Bell Beaker) | 0.0276 |
| 7 | Italy Trentino CA-EBA Early Polada Romagnano (Steppe-Mixed Profile) | Early Bronze Age | 0.0295 |
| 8 | Italy Trentino CA-EBA Early Polada Nogarole | Early Bronze Age | 0.0296 |
| 9 | Spain Madrid Early Medieval Visigoth-Ummayad Los Berrocales (Sardinian Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0297 |
| 10 | Italy Calabria MBA Protoapennine Grotta della Monaca | Middle Bronze Age | 0.0313 |
Ancient DNA from Italy
Our ancient DNA database holds 1,616 individuals excavated in present-day Italy, dated from about 37,855 BC to 1750 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R1b (216), G2a (154) and I2a (59), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are T2 (156), H1 (128) and U5 (121). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Sardinian population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Italy
- LAYERED GENOMIC COMPOSITION AND LINGUISTIC CONTINUITY IN GRECÌA SALENTINA (2026)
- From prehistory to present-day: How isolation shaped the distinct genomic makeup of Italian Alpine valleys (2026)
- DNA signatures preserved in the official 1978 sample collection of the Shroud of Turin (2026)
- Ancient DNA analyses of remains of the Medici family (16th century) provide insights into the genetic variation of Plasmodium falciparum (2026)
- The Etruscans of Felsina: Reconstruction of the Genetic Profile and Biological Connections with Italic and Transalpine Populations from the Villanovan Period to the Roman period. (2026)
- DNA Traces on the Shroud of Turin: Metagenomics of the 1978 Official Sample Collection (2026)
- Ancient genomes from the siege and destruction of Middle Bronze Age Roca Vecchia (Apulia, Italy) shed light on Aegean contacts and conflicts (2025)
- The shifting dynamics of ancestry and culture at a post-Roman crossroads (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 1,616 from Italy.
Compare yourself with Sardinian
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Sardinian average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Sardinian 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 Sardinian. 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 Sardinian 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 Sardinian?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Sardinian average is about 82.2% Anatolian Neolithic farmers, 12.8% Western hunter-gatherers and 4.9% Steppe herders (Yamnaya). These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Sardinian?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Sardinian average are Italian (Sardinia North, Sardinian), Italian (Sardinia Benetutti, Sardinian) and Italian (Sardinia Sulcis-Iglesiente, Sardinian). The closest ancient matches are Italy Trentino EBA Polada Romagnano, Italy Lazio CA La Sassa and Italy Trentino MBA Stenico Calferi.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Sardinian?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Sardinian 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 Sardinian ancestry?
For the Sardinian average, the regional report to choose is Thalassa – Mediterranean Islander 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.