Archaeological DNA comparisons

Cultures through time

~ 5000 BCMesolithic

Ertebølle Culture

Hunters and fishers of southern Scandinavia
Used dugouts and pottery
Built huge dumps of shells and buried their dead there
Kept their hunter-gatherer lifestyle despite having knowledge about agriculture and herding
Predominantly blond and blue-eyed genetic signals, which are uncommon for the time

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~ 5000 BCNeolithic

Linear Pottery Culture

First farmers of central Europe
Descendants of Balkan and Anatolian populations
Built impressive longhouses out of wood and clay
Several sites contain evidence of ritualized mass violence, possibly executions or religious punishments
Non-Indo-European-speaking
Low body height, dark hair and eye color, likely Mediterranean appearance

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~ 3500 BCNeolithic

Atlantic Megalithic

Builders of megalithic structures in Iberia, France and Britain
Synthesis of Western European hunters and Neolithic farmers
Built Stonehenge and other astronomy-related sites
Probably seafaring explains the rapid cultural exchange across the coasts of Western Europe

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Irish Megalithicunavailable

French Megalithicunavailable

British Megalithicunavailable

Iberian Megalithicunavailable

~ 2500 BCCopper Age

Corded Ware Culture

Also called Battle-Axe culture
Western branch of Indo-Europeans
Core regions were Denmark and the Elbe regions
Expand through settlement eastwards up until the Volga
Huge cultural horizon, genetically diverse in its periphery
Genetic proximity to Pontic Indo-Europeans, but common predecessor not yet localized

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Corded Ware Scandinaviaunavailable

Corded Ware Polandunavailable

Corded Ware Germanyunavailable

Corded Ware Balticunavailable

Corded Ware Upper Volgaunavailable

~ 2800 BCCopper Age

Yamnaya Culture

Herders and farmers of the Pontic-Caspian steppe
Eastern branch of Indo-Europeans
Tall body height, dark hair and eye color according to genetic signals
Built iconic grave mounds
Expanding into the Balkans and Caucasus
Genetic proximity to Western Indo-Europeans, but common predecessor not yet localized

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West Pontic Yamnayaunavailable

Yamnaya Pannoniaunavailable

East Pontic-Caspian Yamnayaunavailable

Volga-Ural Yamnayaunavailable

~ 1800 BCBronze Age

Unetice

Bronze Age culture of central Europe
Known for the iconic Sky Disc of Nebra
The importance of astronomy is also indicated by observation or religious sites like Pömmelte
Opulent graves and structured hoards indicate a hierarchical and organized society
Possibly ancestors of later Celts and Italics

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~ 1300 BCBronze Age

Mycenaean Greeks

Probably the Homeric Greeks of the Trojan War
Aegean Bronze Age culture
Earliest Indo-European writing preserved in the Linear B script
Administrative palace system centered around famous places like Pylos, Thebes, Mycenae and Tiryns
Built impressive stone walls like the Lion Gate
Vanished in the infamous Bronze Age Collapse

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~ 500 BCIron Age

Hallstatt Celts

Considered as the original Celtic culture in a broad region north of the Alps
Famous for salt mining and trade
Built castle-like hill-forts that served as residing places of elites
Artistic iron- and goldsmiths
Later waves of Celts spread to Gaul and Britain

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Celts Bohemiaunavailable

Celts Southern Germanyunavailable

Celts Eastern Alpsunavailable

Celts Gaulunavailable

~ 200 BCIron Age

Germanics

Ancient inhabitants of Northern Europe
Warlike tribes, organized in clans and thorps
Known from sources and genetic findings to be blond and blue-eyed
Clashed heavily with Rome for several centuries, resisting its conquest and ultimately taking over Western Europe

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Germanics Denmarkunavailable

Germanics Swedenunavailable

Germanics Norwayunavailable

Germanics Netherlandsunavailable

~ 600 BCIron Age

Italics

Came in waves from north of the Alps and settled in central Italy
Fought wars against Etruscans, Greeks and Celts who lived on the peninsula
Founders of Rome and creators of the Latin language
Both blond and dark-haired genetic signals are identified in graves
Religion and culture were inspired by the Greeks
Their legal, cultural and political legacy inspires Europe up until today

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~ 800 ADMedieval

Vikings

Extremely capable shipbuilders and feared warriors from Denmark, Sweden and Norway
Sailed and settled in Russia, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland and parts of Europe
Discovered America and settled there at least as early as 1021 AD
Made their name as Byzantine bodyguards, slave traders and swordsmiths

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How do I interpret this?

Important! If you score 90 for the Ertebølle culture and 30 for the Vikings, this does not mean that you are genetically closer to the Ertebølle people than to the Vikings. It only means that you are closer to the Ertebølle people than most modern Europeans are, whereas most modern Europeans are closer to the Vikings than you are.

Because the Vikings lived much more recently, you are likely genetically more similar to them than to the people of the far older Ertebølle culture. Keep that in mind when looking at the scores!