Atlas Mountains: The First Farmers
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What's included in this test?
- This test provides powerful, innovative, and interactive DNA-based tools to help you explore your deep ancestral roots in prehistoric North Africa, trace the transition from foraging to farming in the Maghreb, and uncover your genetic connections to the first agricultural communities of the Atlas Mountains.
- Discover how closely you are related to Atlas Mountains: First Farmers (6000–3700 BC), individuals associated with early Neolithic societies of the Atlas region—pioneering farmers and herders who introduced domesticated crops and animals, established permanent villages, and adapted agriculture to highland and foothill environments across North Africa:
- Receive a detailed breakdown of your ancient geographical origins, interactive ancestry maps showing where your ancestors cultivated early fields, managed livestock, exploited mountain resources, and participated in cultural and genetic exchanges linking the Atlas Mountains with the Mediterranean, Sahara, and Near Eastern worlds. You will also see your exact genetic similarity to each individual included in this Atlas farmer dataset.
- Compare your DNA with over 50 modern worldwide populations.
- Journey back more than eight millennia to reconnect with the first farmers of the Atlas Mountains—communities whose agricultural innovations transformed North African lifeways and laid the foundations for later Berber societies.
- Help us reconstruct the origins, agricultural transitions, and population history of early Atlas Mountain communities using the power of ancient DNA.
- Meet the First Farmers of the Atlas — Cultivating Highlands Before Kingdoms, this can be Your Story.
- Basic test includes 4 members.
- Advanced test includes 8 members. Best Deal: Unlock access to a broader collection of North African prehistoric DNA tests with our compendium: People of Morocco
About the test
Atlas Mountains: First Farmers (6000 BC–3700 BC)
Explore the dawn of agriculture in **North Africa**, when communities living along the foothills and uplands of the **Atlas Mountains** transitioned from Ice Age foraging to early farming and herding. This test traces your genetic connections to the first Neolithic populations of Morocco, whose innovations in food production reshaped human life across the Maghreb thousands of years before Phoenician, Roman, or Arab expansions.
These early farmers occupied a mosaic of caves, rock shelters, and open settlements spanning coastal plains, inland valleys, and mountain environments. Their genomes capture a pivotal transformation: deep continuity with indigenous Iberomaurusian hunter-gatherers combined with new Neolithic influences linked to Mediterranean and possibly Near Eastern farming traditions. Together, these populations forged the ancestral foundations of later Amazigh (Berber) societies.
Collected and reconstructed from:
This test reveals:
Perfect for:
Your personalized report includes:
Discover your connection to the first farmers of the Atlas Mountains—communities who blended ancient North African ancestry with new agricultural lifeways, laying the genetic and cultural foundations of the Maghreb.
Explore the dawn of agriculture in **North Africa**, when communities living along the foothills and uplands of the **Atlas Mountains** transitioned from Ice Age foraging to early farming and herding. This test traces your genetic connections to the first Neolithic populations of Morocco, whose innovations in food production reshaped human life across the Maghreb thousands of years before Phoenician, Roman, or Arab expansions.
These early farmers occupied a mosaic of caves, rock shelters, and open settlements spanning coastal plains, inland valleys, and mountain environments. Their genomes capture a pivotal transformation: deep continuity with indigenous Iberomaurusian hunter-gatherers combined with new Neolithic influences linked to Mediterranean and possibly Near Eastern farming traditions. Together, these populations forged the ancestral foundations of later Amazigh (Berber) societies.
Collected and reconstructed from:
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Ifri n’Amr or Moussa
A key site documenting the transition from hunter-gathering to early farming in Morocco. Individuals from Ifri n’Amr or Moussa show genetic continuity with earlier Iberomaurusian populations alongside signals associated with Neolithic subsistence—reflecting local adoption of agriculture rather than wholesale population replacement. -
Kelif el Boroud
An important Neolithic site representing early agricultural communities in the Atlas region. Genomes from Kelif el Boroud highlight the emergence of mixed economies based on farming, herding, and foraging, as well as regional interaction across the Maghreb.
This test reveals:
- Your genetic similarity to North Africa’s first farming populations
- The transition from Iberomaurusian foragers to Neolithic farmers in the Atlas region
- Deep ancestral roots of Amazigh populations before historical periods
- Population continuity and innovation across the early Maghrebi Neolithic
Perfect for:
- Individuals with North African or Amazigh (Berber) ancestral backgrounds
- People interested in the origins of agriculture outside the Near East
- Historians and archaeology enthusiasts exploring Neolithic North Africa
Your personalized report includes:
- Direct comparison to individuals from Ifri n’Amr or Moussa and Kelif el Boroud
- An ancestry breakdown focused on Neolithic Atlas populations
- mtDNA and Y-DNA haplogroups associated with early Maghrebi farming lineages
- Interactive maps showing early farming zones, caves, and mountain settlements
- Archaeological context explaining the rise of agriculture in the Atlas Mountains
Discover your connection to the first farmers of the Atlas Mountains—communities who blended ancient North African ancestry with new agricultural lifeways, laying the genetic and cultural foundations of the Maghreb.
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Why take this test
Up until 2010, reading the DNA of ancient people was a dream. Since then, the DNA of a Neanderthal who lived over 30,000 years ago has been sequenced. After that reading, the DNA of ancient people who lived from 15,000 BC to 1,800 AD all over the world became the main object of paleogenomic research. This leap forward in technology allowed the creation of a new type of DNA test — tests that do not use modern-day populations as stand-ins for the ancient tribes but rather go right to the source and study these ancient peoples themselves.
The Ancient DNA Hub DNA test is the first next-generation DNA test. It is designed solely using the DNA of ancient people throughout history using our novel technologies.
With this test, you will receive a precise ancient ethnicity estimate with far greater geographical details than you could imagine. You will make new connections with historical people and places where your ancestors lived, walked, battled, created, and dreamed thousands of years ago. Using genetic data and evidence from history and archeology, we can revive the past and allow you to take part in this story at the most personal level.
The Ancient DNA Hub DNA test is the first next-generation DNA test. It is designed solely using the DNA of ancient people throughout history using our novel technologies.
With this test, you will receive a precise ancient ethnicity estimate with far greater geographical details than you could imagine. You will make new connections with historical people and places where your ancestors lived, walked, battled, created, and dreamed thousands of years ago. Using genetic data and evidence from history and archeology, we can revive the past and allow you to take part in this story at the most personal level.
