Mesolithic eastern European foragers
EHG is a genetic label built from ancient hunter-gatherers in regions including Karelia and European Russia.
Ancient DNA affinity · Eastern European foragers
Eastern Hunter-Gatherer ancestry calculator from raw DNA
Compare your raw DNA with Eastern Hunter-Gatherer-related ancestry, commonly abbreviated EHG in ancient-DNA research.
Free comparisonUpload not retainedTransparent f4 method
Timelinec. 9,000–5,000 BCE
15,000 BCE10,000 BCE5,000 BCEPresent
Connected to Ancient North Eurasians
EHG carried substantial ancestry related to Ancient North Eurasians, but the two terms describe different profiles.
A source for steppe populations
EHG-related ancestry was a major part of the genetic formation of Yamnaya and other later steppe groups.
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Compare your DNA with Eastern Hunter-Gatherer (EHG).
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Understanding Eastern Hunter-Gatherer (EHG) ancestry.
Eastern Hunter-Gatherer is a genetic label for Mesolithic foragers from eastern Europe, including reference individuals from the forest and lake regions of what is now Russia. EHG is not the same thing as Ancient North Eurasian ancestry, although EHG carries an important connection to that deeper Siberian-related lineage.
Why it matters
EHG-related ancestry is central to the formation of later steppe populations and helps connect eastern European foragers with Bronze Age steppe groups. It also provides useful context for modern variation across northeastern Europe and parts of Central Asia.
Where did Eastern Hunter-Gatherers live?
EHG-related individuals are known from Mesolithic eastern Europe, including forest and lake regions of present-day Russia. As with WHG, the term summarizes related genetic profiles rather than one named people.
How are EHG and Ancient North Eurasian ancestry different?
EHG populations carried an important Ancient North Eurasian-related connection alongside ancestry related to western Eurasian hunter-gatherers. ANE describes a deeper lineage; EHG describes later eastern European forager profiles.
How EHG relates to Yamnaya
EHG-related ancestry combined with substantial Caucasus-related ancestry in the formation of Early Bronze Age steppe populations. An EHG result is therefore related to, but distinct from, the Yamnaya comparison.
Common questions
Eastern Hunter-Gatherer (EHG) ancestry FAQ.
What does EHG mean?
EHG stands for Eastern Hunter-Gatherer, a genetic label for Mesolithic foragers from eastern Europe.
Is EHG ancestry the same as Yamnaya ancestry?
No. EHG-related ancestry contributed strongly to Yamnaya populations, but Yamnaya also carried substantial Caucasus-related ancestry and represents a later profile.
Is EHG the same as Ancient North Eurasian ancestry?
No. EHG has a strong ANE-related connection, but EHG and ANE refer to different populations and chronological layers.
What references does this page use?
The ancient source averages available Mesolithic references from Karelia and Vologda to reduce dependence on one sample.
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