MyHeritage Introduces Ancient Origins: Advanced DNA Analysis That Traces Origins Back 10,000 Years

Compare your DNA to more than 150 ancient civilizations and numerous samples from archaeological excavations

MyHeritage
Margaux Stelman
Head of Public Relations
Phone: +972 52-953-4295
Email: pr@myheritage.com

MyHeritage, the leading global platform for family history and DNA testing, announced today the

release of Ancient Origins, a major new product that complements the company’s DNA ethnicity reports. Ancient Origins goes back further in time, thanks to the latest developments in archaeogenetics, allowing MyHeritage DNA customers to trace their origins up to 10,000 years into the past and discover the ancient populations from which they descend, such as Imperial Romans, Norse Vikings, Phoenicians, and Ancient Egyptians. MyHeritage is now the only major genealogy service to offer such high-resolution ancient DNA ethnicity analysis.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250218570739/en/

Ancient Origins. Trace your origins back 10,000 years. (Photo: Business Wire)

The new Ancient Origins product is the result of a new partnership between MyHeritage and Illustrative DNA, a startup company that is at the forefront of ancient ethnicity analysis. Ancient Origins complements MyHeritage DNA’s Ethnicity Estimate, which provides a percentage breakdown of an individual’s modern ethnic origins going back a few hundred years. Ancient Origins compares an individual’s DNA to ancient DNA samples and populations from the Neolithic Period through the late Middle Ages, providing greater depth to the understanding of one’s ethnic makeup.

“DNA testing is a rapidly evolving source of fascination for millions of people worldwide,” said Gilad Japhet, Founder and CEO of MyHeritage. “Ancient Origins is a must-have for anyone who is intellectually curious about their deep historical roots. Ancient Origins forms an important part of one’s wider family story and is a welcome addition to MyHeritage. We leveraged our expertise in generative AI to add a unique innovation to Ancient Origins: AI avatars that represent many of the ancient populations. The AI avatars tell the story of their civilization in animated videos that are fun and engaging, to foster a deeper appreciation of each group’s cultural heritage.”

“We are thrilled to embark on this new partnership with MyHeritage,” said Esad Zahid Özcan and Samet Mermer, co-founders of Illustrative DNA. “We have long admired MyHeritage’s work as leaders in consumer DNA testing. Illustrative DNA is rapidly improving based on advances in scientific research and the discovery of new DNA samples in excavation sites worldwide. We are excited that the fruits of our efforts will now become available to millions of MyHeritage users in just a few clicks.”

Advanced DNA extraction techniques enable scientists to analyze human samples excavated from archaeological sites around the world, date them, and identify DNA segments and genetic markers that are thousands of years old, or older. Using the location, time period, and additional archaeological evidence, researchers can associate samples with ancient civilizations. Many of these findings are published in scientific papers, and the samples are made publicly available. Ancient Origins compares a user’s DNA to these ancient populations and samples, based on scientific research papers. The results are presented in comprehensive reports that are both informative and visually appealing. These include ancient populations that are now extinct or that have merged into other populations over time, such as Canaanites, Scythians, Visigoths, Etruscans, and many others. The Yellow River civilization, Ancient Egyptians, Ancient Greeks, Insular Celts, Ancient Bantus, Central Amerindians and Ashkenazi Jews of the Middle Ages are among the many ancient populations represented in the Ancient Origins product.

Ancient Origin reports include a percentage breakdown of the ancient populations from which you descend in different historical eras; a breakdown of how much of your DNA traces back to populations of hunter-gatherers and early farmers; advanced reports that indicate one or more ancient populations that are closest to you genetically; Principal Component Analysis (PCA) maps visualizing your genetic proximity to ancient populations, and much more. An encyclopedia of ancient populations and samples is included for reference.

Ancient Origins is available to anyone with DNA results on MyHeritage, subject to explicit consent. This includes all MyHeritage DNA customers who tested with MyHeritage, and all those who tested their DNA with another service and uploaded their DNA data file to MyHeritage. It is a premium feature and a MyHeritage Complete or Omni subscription is required to receive the reports, which include periodic updates as new research emerges and new samples are added to the database. Many MyHeritage users are already eligible to receive the Ancient Origins product at no extra cost thanks to their existing subscription. Ancient Origins is available on desktop and mobile web; support on the MyHeritage mobile app will be added soon. Learn more about Ancient Origins on the MyHeritage blog.

About MyHeritage

MyHeritage is the leading global platform for family history. MyHeritage enriches the lives of people worldwide by enabling them to uncover more about themselves and where they belong. With a suite of intuitive products, billions of historical records, an affordable at-home DNA test, and AI-powered photo tools, MyHeritage creates a meaningful discovery experience that is deeply rewarding. The MyHeritage platform is enjoyed by tens of millions of people around the world who treasure and celebrate their heritage. MyHeritage offers full privacy controls and is available in 42 languages. MyHeritage is home to one of the world’s fastest-growing DNA databases, with 8.8 million customers. Thanks to the company’s extensive global reach and support for 42 languages, MyHeritage is the leading consumer DNA test in Europe. www.myheritage.com