The Ancient Origins Breakdown shows a percentage breakdown of the ancient populations you descend from, across four historical eras: the Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman Era, and the Middle Ages. A map shows the geographical location of each ancient population.

Your results are shaped by the represented origin you select before generating your reports. This helps the algorithm focus on the most relevant reference samples for your background. If you have one dominant ethnicity, select that to refine the results. If you don't have a dominant origin, or are unsure, select "Global."

You can update your selection at any time by clicking "Tailor the model." This is especially useful if you have a diverse ethnic background — you can switch between different ethno-geographical origins to explore different perspectives on your ancient ancestry.

Use the era slider to explore results by historical period.

A Genetic Fit score appears above the breakdown: a lower score indicates a closer match to the ancient reference populations. This score updates as you move through the eras.

Click any population in the left panel or on the map to learn more. A panel will appear with sub-population details, a population description, reference samples, and links to scientific articles about the archaeological findings. Many populations also include AI avatars — short animated videos that bring each ancient group to life, created using MyHeritage's generative AI technology.

Select "Show all populations in this era" at the bottom of the page to display all reference populations included in the model for the selected era and origin.

This report shows what percentage of your DNA traces back to early hunter-gatherer and early farmer populations. The higher the percentage, the more closely your DNA resembles the genetic markers of each group.

Ancient hunter-gatherers played a key role in early human migration, moving across Africa, Eurasia, Australia, and the Americas over tens of thousands of years in search of food, favourable climates, and natural resources. As they migrated, they adapted to diverse environments and developed new survival strategies, laying the groundwork for genetic diversity and cultural development.

During the Neolithic Revolution, human societies transitioned to farming — cultivating crops and domesticating animals. This created a more stable food supply, enabling larger settlements and more complex societies to develop.

As farming spread, early farming communities migrated and brought their knowledge with them, often intermingling with local hunter-gatherer groups. This blending of populations shaped the genetic landscape of Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Click any population in this report to learn more, including a description, reference samples, and links to relevant scientific articles.

The Closest Populations report shows the top 50 ancient populations that are most similar to you genetically, ranked by Genetic Fit score. A lower score means a closer genetic match. This report compares your DNA against all reference populations in the database, giving you a broad view of your ancient genetic affinities without the need to tailor a model.

Click any population name to learn more, including a description of the group and a table showing its genetic distance to various modern populations.

Notable Individuals shows your genetic distance to 32 famous historical figures and groups, from Ötzi the Iceman and Cheddar Man to Ludwig van Beethoven and the Birka Female Warrior. Based on ancient DNA analysis, it gives you a sense of how closely related you are, genetically, to well-known people and groups from across history.

Select any individual from the list to see your genetic distance alongside enriched imagery and descriptive information about that person or group.

This report is available to all Complete and Omni subscribers at no additional cost. It appears automatically in your Ancient Origins menu — there is no need to regenerate your reports.

The Genetic Similarities report shows how closely your DNA compares to ancient populations through two views: dual origin and triple origin. Unlike the Ancient Origins Breakdown — which is based on a tailored model of your choosing — this report compares your DNA against all reference populations in the database.

An individual's genetic composition can be modelled in multiple ways based on different reference populations, which is why 50 models are displayed. Models are shown in ascending order based on their Genetic Fit score — those with the best fit appear first. This is particularly useful for individuals with recently mixed origins, as it explores a variety of possible ancestral combinations.

Genetic Distance Maps visualise your genetic proximity to different ancient populations using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) — a statistical method for measuring genetic distances.

Each point on the map represents a different ancient population or sample, clustered by genetic similarity. This view shows not only which populations are closest to you, but also which populations are close to each other and which are outliers. You'll often notice a strong correspondence between genetics and geography, as populations that lived near each other frequently interacted and intermarried throughout history.

You are represented by the label "You" in black. Your label will appear close to the populations you most resemble. Use the dropdown selector to focus on specific regions relevant to your origins — for example, selecting "Europe" for higher-resolution analysis if you have European origins. Select "Global" to visualise your DNA relative to all samples and populations in the reference panel.

To view population clusters rather than individual points, use the toggle button. To download a map, click the camera icon at the top right. From the toolbar, you can also zoom in or out, pan across the map, and access additional tools to analyse the map in greater detail.

For a deeper dive into the research behind Ancient Origins, a reference encyclopedia is provided with the full list of ancient DNA samples and populations used to develop the reports. It is comprehensive and also includes populations and samples not yet represented in the reports.

You can filter the database by sample type or location, and learn more about the origin of each population: when they lived, how many samples were collected, Y-DNA and mtDNA haplogroups, and where the samples were found. Click the arrow in the "Details" column for further information about each population.