Italy: Romulus and Remus Storytellers
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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 early Italic ancestors, trace community networks of pre-Roman Latium, and uncover your genetic connections to the peoples whose stories and traditions inspired the legendary tale of Romulus and Remus.
- Discover how closely you are related to Italy: Romulus and Remus Storytellers (871–800 BC), individuals associated with early Iron Age Latial cultures—farmers, shepherds, hillfort dwellers, ritual specialists, and community leaders whose lifeways shaped the cultural environment from which Rome’s foundational myths would later emerge:
- Receive a detailed breakdown of your ancient geographical origins, interactive ancestry maps showing where your ancestors lived, herded livestock, forged alliances, engaged in ritual practices, and participated in the early social formations that preceded the rise of Rome. You will also see your exact genetic similarity to each individual included in this Latial Iron Age dataset.
- Compare your DNA with over 50 worldwide ancient and modern populations.
- Journey back nearly three millennia to reconnect with the early Italic world—its myths, pastoral traditions, warrior societies, and the cultural settings that nurtured the legends of Rome’s twin founders.
- Help us reconstruct the origins, diversity, and cultural developments of early Latial communities using the power of ancient DNA.
- Meet the Storytellers of Romulus and Remus — Before Cities, Before Empires, this can be Your Story.
- Basic test includes 5 members.
- Advanced test includes 10 members. Best Deal: Unlock access to a broader collection of Italian and Mediterranean ancient DNA tests with our compendium: People of Rome
About the test
Italy: Romulus and Remus Storytellers — Origins of Early Latium (871–800 BC)
Step into central Italy in the centuries traditionally associated with the legendary founding of Rome. This test traces your genetic connection to populations living between approximately 871 and 800 BC—an era when the Latin peoples of Latium were forming early settlements, shaping oral traditions, and laying the cultural groundwork for what would become the Roman world. These communities occupied fortified villages, cultivated new social identities, and preserved myths that would later crystallize into the story of Romulus and Remus.
During this transformative period, the region south of the Tiber witnessed profound social and demographic shifts. New elites emerged, trade networks intensified, and burial customs evolved as hierarchical societies took shape. The individuals represented here illuminate the early biological landscape of Latium and nearby European regions that contributed to the broader cultural horizon from which Roman traditions emerged.
Collected and reconstructed from:
Together, these individuals reveal a frontier of early Iron Age Europe—a world defined by oral storytelling, emerging chiefdoms, shifting alliances, and cultures that were increasingly intertwined through exchange and migration. They provide a biological snapshot of the era in which the myth of Rome’s origins was first taking shape.
This test reveals:
Perfect for:
Your personalized report includes:
Discover your DNA from the age when storytellers first narrated the tale of Rome’s divine twins—echoes of a world where myth, memory, and early Iron Age communities shaped the origins of Roman identity.
Step into central Italy in the centuries traditionally associated with the legendary founding of Rome. This test traces your genetic connection to populations living between approximately 871 and 800 BC—an era when the Latin peoples of Latium were forming early settlements, shaping oral traditions, and laying the cultural groundwork for what would become the Roman world. These communities occupied fortified villages, cultivated new social identities, and preserved myths that would later crystallize into the story of Romulus and Remus.
During this transformative period, the region south of the Tiber witnessed profound social and demographic shifts. New elites emerged, trade networks intensified, and burial customs evolved as hierarchical societies took shape. The individuals represented here illuminate the early biological landscape of Latium and nearby European regions that contributed to the broader cultural horizon from which Roman traditions emerged.
Collected and reconstructed from:
- Castel di Decima (Latium, Italy) — A key proto-urban settlement located just south of Rome, active during the early Iron Age. Individuals from Castel di Decima provide rare genetic insight into the populations living in Latium during the time associated with Rome’s legendary foundation. Burials here reflect complex social organization, emerging aristocratic lineages, and long-distance connections linking Latium to Etruria and the wider Mediterranean world.
- Rochedane (Eastern France) — An Iron Age community from northeastern Gaul. Individuals from Rochedane represent contemporaneous Central European populations connected to pan-European exchange networks that carried ideas, metallurgy, and cultural motifs across the continent. Their inclusion highlights the broader European context in which Italic societies developed, illustrating how Iron Age mobility and influence extended beyond regional boundaries.
Together, these individuals reveal a frontier of early Iron Age Europe—a world defined by oral storytelling, emerging chiefdoms, shifting alliances, and cultures that were increasingly intertwined through exchange and migration. They provide a biological snapshot of the era in which the myth of Rome’s origins was first taking shape.
This test reveals:
- The genetic structure of early Iron Age Latium populations
- How local Italic groups compared to contemporaneous populations in Gaul
- The demographic environment from which the early Roman cultural sphere emerged
Perfect for:
- Individuals with Italian ancestry—especially from Lazio or central Italy
- Enthusiasts of early Roman history, mythology, and Iron Age archaeology
- Anyone curious about population dynamics during the legendary age of Romulus and Remus
Your personalized report includes:
- Direct comparison to Iron Age individuals from Castel di Decima and Rochedane
- Y-DNA and mtDNA haplogroups associated with Italic and Central European Iron Age groups
- A breakdown of your affinity to early Latial populations and contemporaneous continental groups
- Historical and archaeological context detailing proto-urban life, social hierarchy, and myth-making traditions in early Latium
Discover your DNA from the age when storytellers first narrated the tale of Rome’s divine twins—echoes of a world where myth, memory, and early Iron Age communities shaped the origins of Roman identity.
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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.
