What is Ancient Origins?
Ancient Origins is a feature developed through a partnership between MyHeritage and Illustrative DNA, a company specializing in ancient ethnicity analysis. MyHeritage is the only major genealogy service to offer this level of high-resolution ancient DNA analysis.
Ancient Origins traces your genetic connection to ancient civilizations and populations, allowing you to:
Discover which ancient populations you descend from.
Understand where and how your ancestors lived thousands of years ago.
Learn about your genetic connection to specific ancient individuals discovered in archaeological excavations.
See your genetic distance to notable historical figures.
Ancient Origins complements MyHeritage DNA's Ethnicity Estimate, which provides a percentage breakdown of your modern ethnic origins going back a few hundred years. Ancient Origins goes further, comparing your DNA to ancient samples dating back up to 10,000 years — from the Neolithic Period through the late Middle Ages.
What reports are included?
Ancient Origins provides a set of detailed reports, including:
A percentage breakdown of the ancient populations you descend from across different historical eras.
A breakdown of how much of your DNA traces back to hunter-gatherers and early farmers.
A Closest Populations report showing the top 50 ancient populations most similar to you genetically.
A Notable Individuals report showing your genetic distance to famous historical figures.
A Genetic Similarities report exploring dual and triple origin population combinations.
Genetic Distance Maps visualizing your genetic proximity to ancient populations.
A Sample Database encyclopedia of ancient populations and ancient DNA samples for reference.
These reports are dynamic and updated periodically as new ancient DNA samples are added and new scientific research is published.
Curious about what Ancient Origins reveals? View our comprehensive analysis of all result types here.
Who can access Ancient Origins?
Ancient Origins is available to users with a MyHeritage Complete or Omni subscription at no additional cost. If you don't have one of these plans, you'll be prompted to upgrade when you try to access the feature.
Ancient Origins is accessible on the MyHeritage website, mobile app, and mobile web.
How do I access Ancient Origins?
On the website, log in to your MyHeritage account and select Ancient Origins from the DNA menu.
On the app, navigate to the DNA section and tap Ancient Origins.
If you have a Complete or Omni subscription, click or tap "Get your Ancient Origins reports" to generate them.
Note: Before your reports can be generated, you'll need to consent to the processing of your DNA data for this feature.
Once you give consent, you'll be asked to select an origin that best represents you — this helps fine-tune your results for greater accuracy. You can only select one origin at a time. If you have one dominant ethnicity, select that to refine your results. If you're unsure or don't have one dominant origin, select "Global".
Your reports will be ready within 24 hours and you'll receive an email notification when they're available.
How do I navigate my reports?
When your reports are ready, you'll see an overview of all available reports. Use the menu on the left-hand side of the page to switch between them.
You can find a detailed guide through each report type here: What type of results will I get with Ancient Origins?
What is Notable Individuals?
Notable Individuals is a report within Ancient Origins that shows your genetic distance to famous historical figures. It gives you a sense of how genetically close you are to well-known people from history, based on ancient DNA analysis.
This report is available to all Complete and Omni subscribers as part of Ancient Origins, at no additional cost. It appears automatically in your Ancient Origins menu — no need to regenerate your reports.
To view it, go to your Ancient Origins reports and select "Notable Individuals" from the left-hand menu.
Will my reports change over time?
Yes. Ancient Origins reports are updated periodically as new ancient DNA samples are added to the database and new scientific research is published. You may notice your results evolve over time as the science advances.