European Clans of Cave Bears
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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 Ice Age ancestry, trace Upper Paleolithic European lineages, and uncover your genetic connections to early modern human clans that lived alongside—and hunted—cave bears.
- Discover how closely you are related to European Clans of Cave Bear Hunters from Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Italy, Romania, and Spain (32104–14786 BC) , individuals associated with Upper Paleolithic societies occupying caves and karst landscapes across Europe during the last glacial period:
- Receive a detailed breakdown of your ancient geographical origins, interactive ancestry maps showing where your ancestors lived, migrated, and survived during the waning millennia of the Ice Age, and your exact genetic similarity to each individual included in this pan-European Paleolithic group.
- Compare your DNA with over 50 worldwide ancient and modern populations, spanning Paleolithic hunter-gatherers, Neolithic farmers, and present-day Europeans.
- After more than 15,000–30,000 years, reconnect with Ice Age Europeans whose lives overlapped with now-extinct megafauna and rediscover a primordial chapter of human history preserved in your genome.
- Help us reconstruct Ice Age population structure, mobility, and survival strategies across Europe using the power of ancient DNA.
- Meet the clans of Ice Age Europe — Their Story can be Your Story.
- Basic test includes 5 members.
- Advanced test includes 9 members. Best Deal: Unlock access to a broader collection of Paleolithic and Ice Age DNA tests with our compendium: Spain: Paleo to Classic Hispanic
About the test
European Clans of the Cave Bear Age: Upper Paleolithic Europe (c. 32,104–14,786 BC)
Step into Ice Age Europe during a long arc of human survival, adaptation, and regional continuity—an era when modern humans shared the continent with cave bears, mammoths, and the last Neanderthals. This test explores the genetic legacy of Upper Paleolithic populations living between approximately 32,104 and 14,786 BC, a period spanning dramatic climatic shifts from milder interstadials to the peak of the Last Glacial Maximum and its aftermath. These communities were not transient pioneers, but durable regional clans who learned to endure, adapt, and reoccupy Europe’s caves and valleys over thousands of years.
Archaeological and genetic evidence from this period reveals increasing regional structure among European hunter-gatherers. Groups reused the same caves and landscapes generation after generation, forming deep local roots while remaining connected through long-distance cultural exchange. These humans hunted large game, exploited diverse environments from river valleys to mountain foothills, and developed symbolic traditions that would define later European prehistory. The sites represented here capture this transition—from earlier experimental settlement to more stable regional populations whose descendants would shape post-glacial Europe.
Collected and reconstructed from:
Together, these sites span Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Italy, Romania, and Spain—revealing how Upper Paleolithic Europeans formed enduring regional clans while remaining tied to continental networks of movement, culture, and ancestry.
This test reveals:
Perfect for:
Your personalized report includes:
Discover your DNA from a time when humans endured Europe’s harshest climates—forming resilient clans, mastering the Ice Age landscape, and laying the genetic groundwork of post-glacial Europe.
Step into Ice Age Europe during a long arc of human survival, adaptation, and regional continuity—an era when modern humans shared the continent with cave bears, mammoths, and the last Neanderthals. This test explores the genetic legacy of Upper Paleolithic populations living between approximately 32,104 and 14,786 BC, a period spanning dramatic climatic shifts from milder interstadials to the peak of the Last Glacial Maximum and its aftermath. These communities were not transient pioneers, but durable regional clans who learned to endure, adapt, and reoccupy Europe’s caves and valleys over thousands of years.
Archaeological and genetic evidence from this period reveals increasing regional structure among European hunter-gatherers. Groups reused the same caves and landscapes generation after generation, forming deep local roots while remaining connected through long-distance cultural exchange. These humans hunted large game, exploited diverse environments from river valleys to mountain foothills, and developed symbolic traditions that would define later European prehistory. The sites represented here capture this transition—from earlier experimental settlement to more stable regional populations whose descendants would shape post-glacial Europe.
Collected and reconstructed from:
- Krems-Wachtberg (Austria): A key Gravettian habitation and burial site along the Danube corridor, documenting family-level social structure and long-term settlement during the Upper Paleolithic.
- Troisième Caverne of Goyet Cave (Belgium): A repeatedly occupied cave system reflecting continuity and population turnover in western Europe across the later Upper Paleolithic.
- Bohemia – Koněprusy Caves, Zlatý kůň (Czechia): An iconic Central European site providing critical insight into early modern human ancestry and regional continuity.
- Riparo Tagliente, Stallavena di Grezzana (Verona, Italy): A rock shelter spanning the late Upper Paleolithic, documenting human adaptation through climatic deterioration toward the Last Glacial Maximum.
- Cioclovina Cave (Romania): A site preserving genetic evidence of southeastern European hunter-gatherers connected to both Balkan and Central European populations.
- Cueva de la Carigüela (Piñar, Granada, Andalusia, Spain): An Iberian cave site marking the southwestern edge of Upper Paleolithic Europe and regional persistence through glacial extremes.
Together, these sites span Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Italy, Romania, and Spain—revealing how Upper Paleolithic Europeans formed enduring regional clans while remaining tied to continental networks of movement, culture, and ancestry.
This test reveals:
- The genetic structure of Upper Paleolithic European hunter-gatherer clans
- Regional continuity across Central, Western, Southern, and Southeastern Europe
- How Ice Age populations survived climatic extremes and reshaped Europe after the glaciers retreated
Perfect for:
- Those seeking deep, pan-European prehistoric ancestry
- Enthusiasts of Ice Age archaeology, cave occupations, and hunter-gatherer societies
- Anyone interested in the ancestral foundations of later European populations
Your personalized report includes:
- Direct comparison to Upper Paleolithic individuals from six European regions
- mtDNA and Y-DNA haplogroup analysis where preservation allows
- A breakdown of your genetic affinity to Cave Bear–age European lineages
- Archaeological context covering gravettian lifeways, cave reuse, climate stress, and survival strategies
Discover your DNA from a time when humans endured Europe’s harshest climates—forming resilient clans, mastering the Ice Age landscape, and laying the genetic groundwork of post-glacial Europe.
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Why take this test
For most of human history, our ancestors vanished into the mist of time - no names, no stories, no graves to visit. Until just a decade ago, it was impossible to trace your roots beyond a few centuries. DNA testing could only compare your genetic code to modern people, offering vague and often misleading guesses about your origins based on present-day populations that didn’t exist in the ancient world.
Now, for the first time, you can reach beyond the living - directly into the past. Thanks to breakthroughs in paleogenomics, scientists have recovered and sequenced the DNA of real individuals who lived thousands of years ago. From Ice Age hunters and Bronze Age warriors to Roman citizens and medieval villagers, their genetic echoes are finally within your reach.
The Ancient DNA Hub test is the first and only DNA test that connects you not to modern ethnic labels, but to actual ancient populations. Using our proprietary technologies, we match your genome against thousands of real ancient genomes excavated across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. This allows you to discover precisely which ancient peoples you descend from, and where and when they lived.
This test is for you if:
Reclaim your ancient past. Your story didn’t start in the last 500 years—it began with the first footsteps of your ancestors across continents. Let their DNA speak again—and let it speak to you.
Now, for the first time, you can reach beyond the living - directly into the past. Thanks to breakthroughs in paleogenomics, scientists have recovered and sequenced the DNA of real individuals who lived thousands of years ago. From Ice Age hunters and Bronze Age warriors to Roman citizens and medieval villagers, their genetic echoes are finally within your reach.
The Ancient DNA Hub test is the first and only DNA test that connects you not to modern ethnic labels, but to actual ancient populations. Using our proprietary technologies, we match your genome against thousands of real ancient genomes excavated across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. This allows you to discover precisely which ancient peoples you descend from, and where and when they lived.
This test is for you if:
- You’ve taken other ancestry tests and still feel something is missing
- You want to go deeper, thousands of years deeper, into your lineage
- Your family stories were lost through time, migration, or trauma, and you want to reclaim them
- You suspect your ancestors may have been part of great migrations, battles, or empires, and you want proof
- You want to give your children and grandchildren a deeper connection to who they are
Reclaim your ancient past. Your story didn’t start in the last 500 years—it began with the first footsteps of your ancestors across continents. Let their DNA speak again—and let it speak to you.
