Spain: Red deer Hunters (25,000-5000 BC)
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What's included in this test?
- This test provides powerful, innovative, and interactive DNA-based tools that allow you to explore your deepest ancestral roots among the Paleolithic and Mesolithic hunters of Europe. Experience more than 20,000 years of human history as you trace your lineage to the people who endured the Ice Age and thrived in a world shaped by glaciers, megafauna, and rapid climate change.
- Find out how closely you are related to Red Deer Hunters (25,000–5000 BC), sampled from archaeological sites spanning the Late Upper Paleolithic to the Mesolithic across Europe:
- Receive a detailed breakdown of your ancient geographical origins, including interactive maps showing Ice Age refugia, seasonal migration routes, cave networks, river valleys, and post-glacial expansion zones. Learn your exact genetic similarity to each ancient hunter-gatherer included in this test.
- Compare your results with over 50 ancient and modern populations from across Eurasia and the world.
- Reconnect with the hunters who followed the great herds — masters of stone tools, fire, and survival. These ancient peoples adapted to rapidly shifting environments and played a crucial role in shaping the genetic landscape of prehistoric Europe.
- Help us uncover the genetic legacy of Europe’s earliest hunter-gatherers using the power of genetics.
- Meet the ancient Red Deer Hunters — Their Story can be Your Story.
- Basic test includes 5 members.
- Advanced test includes 10 members. Best Deal: Unlock the full collection of Paleolithic and Mesolithic DNA tests with our compendium test: Spain: Paleo to Classic Hispanic
About the test
Red Deer Hunters (25,000–5000 BC)
Travel deep into the Ice Age landscapes of prehistoric Europe—an era when hunter-gatherer bands followed the great herds across open plains, forested valleys, and rising mountain passes. This test uncovers the genetic legacy of Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic peoples who hunted red deer across what is now Spain, Portugal, and southern France between 25,000 and 5000 BC. These resilient groups lived through glacial extremes, environmental transformations, and the dawn of the Holocene, shaping cultural traditions that endured for millennia.
Archaeological evidence reveals a world of extraordinary adaptation and skill: cave shelters decorated with stone tools and ochre, finely knapped blades and scrapers, temporary hunting camps overlooking migratory routes, and burial traditions tied to ancestral lands. These early Europeans mastered cold-weather survival, crafted advanced lithic technologies, and maintained wide-ranging networks that linked mountain, coast, and plateau. It was an age defined by mobility, ingenuity, intimate knowledge of the land, and the pursuit of the red deer—the backbone of many Paleolithic diets, tools, and rituals.
Collected and reconstructed from:
This test reveals:
Perfect for:
Your personalized report includes:
Discover your DNA from an age when hunter-gatherers tracked red deer across glacial valleys, crafted stone tools with masterful precision, and laid the foundations of Europe’s prehistoric heritage.
Travel deep into the Ice Age landscapes of prehistoric Europe—an era when hunter-gatherer bands followed the great herds across open plains, forested valleys, and rising mountain passes. This test uncovers the genetic legacy of Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic peoples who hunted red deer across what is now Spain, Portugal, and southern France between 25,000 and 5000 BC. These resilient groups lived through glacial extremes, environmental transformations, and the dawn of the Holocene, shaping cultural traditions that endured for millennia.
Archaeological evidence reveals a world of extraordinary adaptation and skill: cave shelters decorated with stone tools and ochre, finely knapped blades and scrapers, temporary hunting camps overlooking migratory routes, and burial traditions tied to ancestral lands. These early Europeans mastered cold-weather survival, crafted advanced lithic technologies, and maintained wide-ranging networks that linked mountain, coast, and plateau. It was an age defined by mobility, ingenuity, intimate knowledge of the land, and the pursuit of the red deer—the backbone of many Paleolithic diets, tools, and rituals.
Collected and reconstructed from:
- Cueva de la Carigüela (Piñar, Granada, Andalusia): A key Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic cave site preserving long sequences of human occupation, lithic industries, and faunal remains tied to red deer hunting traditions.
- El Mirón Cave (Cantabria): A major Late Upper Paleolithic site known for its Magdalenian levels, rich bone tools, and evidence of seasonal hunting and ritual activity.
- Balma Guilanyà (Catalonia): A rock shelter revealing Mesolithic lifeways, including specialized hunting strategies, toolmaking traditions, and repeated seasonal use.
- Chan do Lindeiro (Galicia): A prehistoric mountain site preserving traces of early hunter-gatherer movement through the highlands of northwestern Iberia.
- Cueva de la Cocina (Dos Aguas, Valencia Province): An important Mesolithic settlement showing advanced microlithic technology, broad-spectrum foraging, and long-term habitation patterns.
- La Braña–Arintero (León, Castilla y León): A famous Mesolithic site representing some of the earliest directly sequenced hunter-gatherers of Atlantic Europe, revealing genetic continuity and survival strategies in post-glacial landscapes.
- Cingle del Mas Nou (Ares del Maestre, Castellón): A prehistoric shelter preserving artifacts and faunal remains linked to Mediterranean hunter-gatherer groups during the Mesolithic transition.
- Canes (location attributed to prehistoric Iberian contexts): A site associated with early Iberian hunter-gatherer occupation, reflecting local adaptations and regional mobility patterns.
This test reveals:
- The genetic structure of Paleolithic and Mesolithic hunter-gatherers across Iberia
- Signals of Ice Age survival, post-glacial expansion, and early regional population patterns
- Connections between your ancestry and the red deer hunters who roamed Iberia for 20,000 years
Perfect for:
- People with Iberian, Atlantic European, or Paleolithic ancestry
- Enthusiasts of Ice Age archaeology, prehistory, and ancient hunter-gatherer cultures
- Anyone curious about their connection to the earliest Europeans of the post-glacial world
Your personalized report includes:
- Direct comparison to Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic individuals from Iberian cave and rock-shelter sites
- mtDNA and Y-DNA haplogroup insights relevant to early European hunter-gatherers
- A breakdown of your genetic affinity to red deer–hunting populations from 25,000–5000 BC
- Historical and cultural context from an age of cold climates, shifting landscapes, and remarkable human endurance
Discover your DNA from an age when hunter-gatherers tracked red deer across glacial valleys, crafted stone tools with masterful precision, and laid the foundations of Europe’s prehistoric heritage.
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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.
