2017 Max Planck DNA study reveals ancient Egyptians were genetically distinct from modern populations. The 2017 Max Planck Institute (Germany) DNA study analyzed mummies from Egypt Ancient Egyptian mummies showed DNA almost genetically identical to populations of the Levant and Anatolia at that time The mummies showed significantly higher genetic similarity to European populations of the Neolithic and Bronze Age than to modern Egyptians
The 2017 Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History study (published in Nature Communications) analyzed Egyptian mummies from Abusir-el Meleq and found they showed genetic affinity to ancient populations of the Levant and Anatolia, clustering with Neolithic and Bronze Age populations of the Near East and the Eastern Mediterranean. They were genetically distinct from modern Egyptians. The study concluded modern Egyptians have inherited significantly more Sub-Saharan African ancestry than the ancient mummies studied, with this increase estimated at approximately 6-15% depending on the analysis method. However, the post's claim that ancient Egyptians may have belonged to the same gene pool from which Indo-European and Indo-Iranian migrations originated is not supported by the study's findings.
Key Facts
- The 2017 Max Planck Institute (Germany) DNA study analyzed mummies from Egypt
- Ancient Egyptian mummies showed DNA almost genetically identical to populations of the Levant and Anatolia at that time
- The mummies showed significantly higher genetic similarity to European populations of the Neolithic and Bronze Age than to modern Egyptians
- This suggests ancient Egyptians may have belonged to the same gene pool from which Indo-European and Indo-Iranian migrations originated
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