European Stegodon hunters
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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 prehistoric ancestors, trace Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherer lineages, and uncover your genetic connections to some of the earliest modern humans in Europe.
- Discover how closely you are related to European Stegodon Hunters from Bulgaria, France, Romania, and Russia (43421–32998 BC), individuals associated with Upper Paleolithic societies that hunted now-extinct megafauna and adapted to harsh Ice Age environments across Europe:
- Receive a detailed breakdown of your ancient geographical origins, interactive ancestry maps showing where your ancestors lived, migrated, and survived across Ice Age Europe, and your exact genetic similarity to each individual included in this multi-regional hunter-gatherer group.
- Compare your DNA with over 50 worldwide ancient and modern populations, from Paleolithic hunters to Neolithic farmers and present-day populations.
- After more than 40,000 years, reconnect with Europe’s first successful modern human pioneers and rediscover a primordial chapter of human history preserved in your genome.
- Help us reconstruct early human migration routes, survival strategies, and population structure during the Upper Paleolithic using the power of ancient DNA.
- Meet the first Europeans — Their Story can be Your Story.
- Basic test includes 5 members.
- Advanced test includes 14 members.
About the test
European Stegodon Hunters: Ice Age Europe (c. 43,421–32,998 BC)
Step into the world of Europe’s earliest modern humans—an Ice Age continent of shifting climates, dangerous megafauna, and repeated waves of exploration and survival. This test explores the genetic legacy of some of the first Homo sapiens groups to spread across Europe during the Upper Paleolithic, dating to approximately 43,421–32,998 BC. These populations lived at the frontier of human expansion, hunting large game, adapting rapidly to harsh environments, and interacting with archaic hominins as they moved across the continent.
Archaeology and genetics reveal a mosaic of early European occupations rather than a single migration event. Sites from Belgium, France, Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia document short-lived settlements, repeated recolonizations, and remarkable cultural innovation. Some of the individuals represented here show traces of recent Neanderthal ancestry, reflecting intimate contact during the earliest stages of modern human presence in Europe. Together, these remains capture one of the most dynamic and experimental phases of human prehistory.
Collected and reconstructed from:
These sites span much of continental Europe during the earliest Upper Paleolithic, capturing populations that experimented with new technologies, subsistence strategies, and social forms. Often ephemeral and regionally distinct, these groups represent multiple early branches of European ancestry—some flourishing briefly, others disappearing or being absorbed by later waves of migrants.
This test reveals:
Perfect for:
Your personalized report includes:
Discover your DNA from a time when modern humans first claimed Europe—hunting giant game, crossing unfamiliar landscapes, and leaving the earliest genetic footprints of our species on the continent.
Step into the world of Europe’s earliest modern humans—an Ice Age continent of shifting climates, dangerous megafauna, and repeated waves of exploration and survival. This test explores the genetic legacy of some of the first Homo sapiens groups to spread across Europe during the Upper Paleolithic, dating to approximately 43,421–32,998 BC. These populations lived at the frontier of human expansion, hunting large game, adapting rapidly to harsh environments, and interacting with archaic hominins as they moved across the continent.
Archaeology and genetics reveal a mosaic of early European occupations rather than a single migration event. Sites from Belgium, France, Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia document short-lived settlements, repeated recolonizations, and remarkable cultural innovation. Some of the individuals represented here show traces of recent Neanderthal ancestry, reflecting intimate contact during the earliest stages of modern human presence in Europe. Together, these remains capture one of the most dynamic and experimental phases of human prehistory.
Collected and reconstructed from:
- Goyet Cave (Belgium)
- Spy Cave (Belgium)
- Troisième Caverne of Goyet Cave (Belgium)
- Bacho Kiro Cave (Balkan Mountains, Bulgaria)
- Les Cottes (France)
- Oase Cave (Romania)
- Baia de Fier – Peștera Muierii (Romania)
- Mezmaiskaya Cave (Russia, Caucasus)
- Kostenki (Russia, Don River Basin)
These sites span much of continental Europe during the earliest Upper Paleolithic, capturing populations that experimented with new technologies, subsistence strategies, and social forms. Often ephemeral and regionally distinct, these groups represent multiple early branches of European ancestry—some flourishing briefly, others disappearing or being absorbed by later waves of migrants.
This test reveals:
- The genetic structure of Europe’s earliest Homo sapiens populations
- Evidence of recent Neanderthal admixture in some early European groups
- Deep ancestral connections between Ice Age hunter-gatherers across Europe
Perfect for:
- Anyone interested in the very first chapter of modern human history in Europe
- Enthusiasts of Paleolithic archaeology and Ice Age megafauna
- Those seeking the deepest possible European genetic time depth
Your personalized report includes:
- Direct comparison to early Upper Paleolithic individuals from across Europe
- mtDNA and Y-DNA haplogroup analysis where preservation allows
- A breakdown of your genetic affinity to Europe’s earliest hunter-gatherer lineages
- Archaeological context covering migration waves, megafauna hunting, and human–Neanderthal interaction
Discover your DNA from a time when modern humans first claimed Europe—hunting giant game, crossing unfamiliar landscapes, and leaving the earliest genetic footprints of our species on the continent.
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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.
