Each year on July 7th, we celebrate World Swahili Language Day, which honors the importance of the Swahili language in unifying African countries during their struggles for independence in the 20th century. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-medieval-swahili-coast">Medieval Swahili Coast</h2>



In celebration, 23andMe is adding a new historical group to our new 23andMe+ Premium™ membership feature, which may genetically connect you to one or more of hundreds of historical people worldwide. 



The new Medieval Swahili Coast historical group consists of 15 historical individuals who lived along the Swahili Coast between the 13th and 20th centuries CE. 



During the 11th-16th centuries, the Swahili civilization flourished along a 2,000-mile-long stretch of coast spanning parts of present-day Kenya, Tanzania, northern Mozambique, southern Somalia, Comoros islands, and northern Madagascar. The Swahili coast served as a center for medieval trade between peoples of African, South Asian, Arabic, and Persian origin.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-impact-of-trade-on-language">The Impact of Trade on Language</h2>



These long-distance connections played a critical role in the origins of the Swahili language, also known by its local name, Kiswahili. The Swahili language belongs to the Bantu language family, which consists of approximately 600 different languages spoken across Central, Southern, and Eastern Africa. However, Swahili is notable for having many loanwords borrowed from other languages, particularly Arabic, which comprises over 15 percent of the vocabulary. 



While the impact of medieval long-distance trading connections on the Swahili language is clear, the extent to which these foreign traders impacted the genetics of the medieval Swahili people has long been debated. 



In 2023, researchers sequenced the genomes of 80 historical individuals from sites in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05754-w">six medieval towns along the Swahili coast</a>. This study revealed that prior to 1500 CE, the ancient inhabitants of these coastal towns had a mixture of African and Asian ancestry. 



Further, this mixed ancestry was primarily inherited from female ancestors with African ancestry and male ancestors with Asian (primarily Persian) ancestry. After 1500 CE, the people of the Swahili coast acquired more Arabian-like ancestry, reflecting growing interactions with people from southern Arabia. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-learn-more">Learn More</h2>



Through 23andMe&#8217;s Historical Matches feature, which is available to all <a href="https://www.23andme.com/membership/">23andMe+ Premium members</a>, you can find out if you share a genetic connection to 15 of the individuals whose genomes were sequenced as part of this study and learn more about the Medieval Swahili Coast.



Discover <a href="https://www.23andme.com/compare-dna-tests/">all that 23andMe offers here</a>.

An image of a traditional sailing vessel on the coast of Africa.

23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

Do you know about the origins of the Swahili Language?

Last week, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07509-7">a new ancient DNA study</a> led by researchers at the Max Planck Institute in Germany and the Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia in Mexico revealed that contrary to some early theories about ritual sacrifice practices in the ancient Maya civilization, not all sacrifice victims were young women.&nbsp;



In the study, the authors analyzed DNA from the remains of 64 sacrifice victims found nearly 60 years ago in an underground cistern in Chichén Itzá, an ancient Maya city in what is now Yucatán, Mexico. Buried between 500 – 900 CE (a time when Chichén Itzá was the most powerful city in the northern Maya region), the victims were children at the time of their death. To the researchers’ astonishment, every single one of the children had a Y chromosome, meaning that they were all genetically male. Not only that, many were siblings or cousins, and there were even two pairs of identical twin boys. &nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="507" height="338" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/gettyimages-481272289-170667a.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-33086" style="width:647px;height:auto" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/gettyimages-481272289-170667a.jpg 507w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/gettyimages-481272289-170667a-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 507px) 100vw, 507px" /></figure>



The El Castillo step-pyramid at Chichén Itzá.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-twins">Why twins?</h2>



In Maya mythology, twin boys figure prominently. The story of Hero Twins Hunahpu and Xbalanque is chronicled in the Popol Vuh (or Popol Wuj), the Maya story of creation. In this epic, the twins are challenged to a series of tests by the Death Lords of the Underworld, Xibalba. Eventually, the twins outwit the crafty Death Lords and ascend to the sky to become the sun and moon. Researchers speculate that the story of the Hero Twins may have inspired the ritual sacrifice of the boys at Chichén Itzá.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2560" height="1710" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/iiif-service_rbc_rbc0001_2008_2008kislak00220_001-full-pct_50-0-default-scaled.jpg" alt="A painting of the mythical Maya hero twins by the painter Diego Rivera." class="wp-image-33087" style="width:766px;height:auto" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/iiif-service_rbc_rbc0001_2008_2008kislak00220_001-full-pct_50-0-default-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/iiif-service_rbc_rbc0001_2008_2008kislak00220_001-full-pct_50-0-default-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/iiif-service_rbc_rbc0001_2008_2008kislak00220_001-full-pct_50-0-default-768x513.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/iiif-service_rbc_rbc0001_2008_2008kislak00220_001-full-pct_50-0-default-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/iiif-service_rbc_rbc0001_2008_2008kislak00220_001-full-pct_50-0-default-880x588.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/iiif-service_rbc_rbc0001_2008_2008kislak00220_001-full-pct_50-0-default-1180x788.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></figure>



“Trials of the hero-twins,” painted by Diego Rivera in 1931



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-discovery-of-the-mass-grave">Discovery of the mass grave</h2>



In 1967, workers who were building an airport runway near Chichén Itzá discovered the remains of over 100 children near Chichén Itzá’s Sacred Cenote (sinkhole) in a type of underground cistern called a chultún, which may have represented an entrance to the underworld.



Despite the site’s clear historical significance, archaeologists were granted only two months to excavate the site and exhume the bones so that they could be preserved and studied. Now, over 50 years later, ancient DNA technology has made it possible to learn more about the identities of the buried children.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2560" height="1920" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Sacred_Cenote_Chichen_Itza_02-scaled.jpeg" alt="A photo of the sinkhole Sacred Cenote near the Chichen ruins." class="wp-image-33085" style="width:617px;height:auto" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Sacred_Cenote_Chichen_Itza_02-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Sacred_Cenote_Chichen_Itza_02-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Sacred_Cenote_Chichen_Itza_02-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Sacred_Cenote_Chichen_Itza_02-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Sacred_Cenote_Chichen_Itza_02-880x660.jpeg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Sacred_Cenote_Chichen_Itza_02-1180x885.jpeg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></figure>



The Sacred Cenote (sinkhole) which is located in the ceremonial center of Chichén



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-find-out-if-you-are-genetically-connected">Find out if you are genetically connected</h2>



And the discoveries don’t stop there. Thanks to Historical Matches, SM our new 23andMe+® Premium membership feature, you can find out if you share a genetic connection with 24 of the sacrifice victims whose DNA was sequenced as part of this study (40 of the 64 genomes analyzed in the study did not meet 23andMe’s quality standards for inclusion in the feature).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-seven-new-indigenous-american-genetic-groups-added-in-mexico"> Seven new Indigenous American Genetic Groups added in Mexico</h2>



In addition to adding the ancient Maya individuals from Chichén Itzá to the Historical Matches feature, we are also adding seven new Genetic Groups in what is now Mexico and parts of northern Central America, as well as a group in the Mariana Islands with Indigenous American ancestry introduced centuries ago as a result of Spanish colonialism. This update adds finer detail for customers with roots in these regions.&nbsp;



The update will be available for customers on the <a href="https://customercare.23andme.com/hc/en-us/articles/218392668-Upgrading-to-23andMe-s-Newest-Chip-Version">latest genotyping chip</a>, V5.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-indigenous-american-genetic-groups-in-mexico-central-america-and-the-western-pacific">Indigenous American Genetic Groups in Mexico, Central America, and the western Pacific</h2>



Below are the seven Genetic Groups we&#8217;ve added in the latest update.



Maya &#8211; Shared Indigenous American ancestors with people who identify as Maya in southern Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, and western Honduras.&nbsp;



Mexican diasporic ancestry in the Marianas &#8211; Shared ancestors with people in the western Pacific who have Indigenous American ancestry that was introduced centuries ago due to Spanish colonialism. Most people in this Genetic Group identify as Chamorro—the Indigenous people of the Mariana Islands—and all carry a small amount of Indigenous American genetic ancestry, which was likely introduced to the Mariana Islands around the time of the Spanish–Chamorro Wars. The Indigenous American DNA in this Genetic Group is most similar to the DNA of people who identify as Otomí, who have historically resided in central Mexico, particularly around what is now Mexico City.



Purépecha &#8211; Shared Indigenous American ancestors with people identifying as Purépecha, primarily in Michoacán, Mexico. Today, the Purépecha mainly inhabit western Mexico, a community in Nicaragua that is believed to have descended from Purépecha migrants who settled in the region centuries ago.



Zapotec &#8211; Shared Indigenous American ancestors with people identifying as Zapotec, primarily in Oaxaca, Mexico.&nbsp;



Nahua &#8211; Shared Indigenous American ancestors with people identifying as Nahua in central Mexico.&nbsp;



Mixtec &#8211; Shared Indigenous American ancestors with people identifying as Mixtec (Mixteco), primarily in Puebla and La Mixteca—a cultural region in western Oaxaca, Mexico.&nbsp;



Otomí &#8211; Shared Indigenous American ancestors with people identifying as Otomí, primarily in Querétaro, Guanajuato, and the State of Mexico.

An image of the Maya pyramid El Castillo at Chichén Itzá.

New Historical Matches and Genetic Groups could connect you to the ancient Maya Civilization

June is Caribbean American Heritage Month. In celebration, 23andMe is adding 20 new historical individuals from the ancient Caribbean to Historical Matches,SM our new 23andMe+ Premium membership feature that may genetically connect you to one or more of hundreds of historical people across the globe.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="354" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Caribbean-Map.png" alt="Map of the Caribbean from Wikimedia Commons" class="wp-image-33036" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Caribbean-Map.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Caribbean-Map-300x207.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>



 The first evidence of human occupation of the Caribbean dates to approximately 6,000 years ago, when stone-tool-using hunter-gatherers migrated into the region. 



Around 3,500 years later, a second wave of migration into the region of people who practiced intensive agriculture and predominantly used ceramics began. 



<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="341" height="512" data-id="33035" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Tiano-Sculture.png" alt="A Taíno Figure Pendant from the Dominican Republic that dates to the 13th-15th century." class="wp-image-33035" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Tiano-Sculture.png 341w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Tiano-Sculture-200x300.png 200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 341px) 100vw, 341px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A Taíno Figure Pendant from the Dominican Republic that dates to the 13th-15th century. </figcaption></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="427" data-id="33034" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/taino-bowl.png" alt="A Taíno bowl from the Dominican Republic that dates to the 13th-15th century." class="wp-image-33034" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/taino-bowl.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/taino-bowl-300x250.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A Taíno bowl from the Dominican Republic that dates to the 13th-15th century. </figcaption></figure>
</figure>



 In 2020, an international team of researchers analyzed the genomes of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7864882/">174 ancient individuals from the Caribbean </a>who lived between 3,100 and 400 years ago, spanning both hunter-gatherer and agricultural eras. They found that the first inhabitants of the Caribbean were most closely related to populations who lived in Central and northern South America at that time, suggesting that the first wave of migration into the Caribbean may have come from these regions. 



However, the later ceramic-using peoples had ancestry that was more similar to present-day people who live near the mouth of the Orinoco River in Venezuela and speak Arawak languages. 



Although the arrival of people of European and African ancestry during and after the 15th century almost wiped out <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andme-adds-more-detail-for-indigenous-caribbean-ancestry">many indigenous people</a>, many present-day Caribbean people can trace some of their genetic ancestry to those early Indigenous inhabitants.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-learn-more-about-historical-matches">Learn More about Historical Matches</h2>



You can find out if you share a genetic connection to any of the dozens of individuals who were included in this study and learn more about the first peoples of the Caribbean through 23andMe’s <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andmes-historic-matches">Historical Matches feature</a>, which is available to all <a href="https://www.23andme.com/membership/">23andMe+ Premium members</a>.&nbsp;

Do You Know about the Earliest Inhabitants of the Caribbean?

23andMe+® Premium members can now dive deeper into their heritage with Distant Genetic Groups: a new feature for Ancestry Composition.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="371" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/distant-genetic-groups-France.png" alt="A map showing distant genetic groups in France
" class="wp-image-33021" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/distant-genetic-groups-France.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/distant-genetic-groups-France-300x217.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>



Since the launch of Genetic Groups in 2020 as a new type of detailed results within Ancestry Composition, customers on the V5 chip have been able to see their close matches (previously labeled &#8220;Highly Likely&#8221; or &#8220;Likely&#8221; within the feature). These matches usually represent close family or recent connections.



Over the past few years, many customers have asked if we could go further back in time or lower the shared DNA requirements to find more distant ancestral connections.



To provide these customers with even more information about their more distant connections to Genetic Groups, we evaluated different thresholds at which we felt we could still deliver meaningful results and settled on an approach that achieved these goals.&nbsp;



Thanks to this additional R&amp;D, we are now allowing 23andMe+ Premium members to view their more distant connections to Genetic Groups.&nbsp;



Importantly, we are not removing or hiding Genetic Group matches that non-Premium members can already see. When we release new regions in the future, non-Premium members will still be able to view their very close connections to those regions.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Because of the nature of these analyses and because we are continuing to roll out new Genetic Groups around the world, not all 23andMe+ Premium members have distant Genetic Group matches. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="281" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Distant-Genetic-Groups.png" alt="A map of the world showing where 23andMe has updated Distant Genetic Groups" class="wp-image-33022" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Distant-Genetic-Groups.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Distant-Genetic-Groups-300x165.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Distant-Genetic-Groups-271x149.png 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Distant-Genetic-Groups-372x204.png 372w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>



Recently, we’ve added 36 Genetic Groups in France and Belgium, <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andme-improves-ancestry-results-for-people-with-south-american-levantine-sephardic-and-mizrahi-genetic-ancestry">13 Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewish groups</a>, <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andme-improves-ancestry-results-for-people-with-south-american-levantine-sephardic-and-mizrahi-genetic-ancestry">26 groups in the Levant</a>, and 21 Indigenous American groups in South America, and many more are coming soon.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-are-genetic-groups-and-what-is-a-distant-connection">What are Genetic Groups, and what is a “Distant” connection?</h2>



Genetic Groups are groups of people with significant genetic similarity to each other, who may share ethnic identities, languages, or other similar characteristics.&nbsp;



“Distant” matches to Genetic Groups reflect meaningful DNA connections to Genetic Groups that may be:&nbsp;



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Further back in time </li>



<li>Through fewer ancestors</li>



<li>Or otherwise harder to detect</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-does-it-mean-to-have-a-distant-match-nbsp">What does it mean to have a Distant match?&nbsp;</h2>



Distant matches can mean different things for different parts of the world, but each match still represents a meaningful amount of shared DNA. Typically, a distant match could mean that you share DNA with multiple people in that Genetic Group but the total amount of shared DNA does not meet our threshold for assigning matches at a higher confidence level.



Sometimes, these matches may reflect very distant ancestral connections, particularly if the population shares high amounts of DNA. Other times, these matches may reflect more recent connections through fewer shared ancestors.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-to-find-out-if-you-have-distant-genetic-group-connections">How to find out if you have Distant Genetic Group connections</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Sephardic-Mizrahi-300x169.png" alt="An image showing Sephardic and Mizrahi ancestral distant genetic groups." class="wp-image-33023" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Sephardic-Mizrahi-300x169.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Sephardic-Mizrahi.png 512w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></figure>



If you are a 23andMe+ Premium member, visit your Ancestry Composition results and look for “new” tags to see if you have any distant matches. Click on the population or populations with the “new” tag and look for Genetic Groups with a “new” tag and an in-line Distant match strength. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-not-a-23andme-premium-member">Not a 23andMe+ Premium member? </h2>



If you are not a 23andMe+ Premium member and want to know if you would have any “Distant” Genetic Groups if you were to become a member, follow these steps:



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>Indicate in the <a href="https://you.23andme.com/user/consent/tma/">Personalized Recommendations Consent</a> that you would like to receive Personalized Recommendations.</li>



<li>After consenting to receive personalized recommendations, browse your Ancestry Composition results by clicking on each of your populations.</li>



<li>Look for a notification within your detailed ancestry results that you have a Distant Genetic Group match.</li>



<li>Please keep in mind you may not have any Distant Genetic Group connections at this time. </li>
</ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="399" height="512" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/British-Irish-73-percent.png" alt="Ancestry Composition with link to distant genetic groups in Britan and Ireland." class="wp-image-33024" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/British-Irish-73-percent.png 399w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/British-Irish-73-percent-234x300.png 234w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 399px) 100vw, 399px" /></figure>



How to find out if you are a 23andMe+ Premium member:&nbsp;



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>Go to your account settings at <a href="https://you.23andme.com/user/">https://you.23andme.com/user/</a></li>



<li>View the “Personal Information” section and find the section called “Membership.” </li>



<li>If you are not a member, it will say, “Not a 23andMe+ Premium member.”</li>
</ol>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-else-is-included-with-23andme-premium">What else is included with 23andMe+ Premium</h2>



Do you want to upgrade to 23andMe+ Premium to view your Distant Genetic Group connections but are unsure if it’s worth it just for that?&nbsp;



23andMe+ Premium has so much more, including <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andmes-historic-matches">Historical Matches</a>SM, up to 5000 (3x) DNA relatives, Advanced DNA Relative filters, exclusive reports Powered by 23andMe Research including ADHD, depression, atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, migraine, lupus and more. These reports and features are powered by our latest genetic research and peer-reviewed studies.&nbsp;



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Upgrade to 23andMe+ Premium from the Health + Ancestry service: <a href="https://you.23andme.com/subscription/">https://you.23andme.com/subscription/</a></li>



<li>Upgrade to 23andMe+ Premium from Ancestry Only service: <a href="https://you.23andme.com/subscription_ao/?source=historical_matches_web">https://you.23andme.com/subscription_ao/</a></li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-not-yet-a-23andme-customer">Not yet a 23andMe customer?</h2>



Purchase a new kit with one year membership included: <a href="https://www.23andme.com/membership/">https://www.23andme.com/membership/</a>&nbsp;

A map of the world showing where 23andMe has updated Distant Genetic Groups

Discover Distant Genetic Groups with 23andMe+ Premium

Did you know that May 30th and 31st mark the anniversaries of the deaths of Gleb Svyatoslavich and Izjaslav Ingvarevych, who were princes of parts of the historical state of Kievan Rus’? 



Kievan Rus’ encompassed parts of present-day Ukraine, Belarus, and European Russia between the late 9th and mid-13th centuries CE. 23andMe is marking the anniversaries by updating <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andmes-historic-matches">Historical Matches</a>.SM  This new 23andMe+ Premium membership feature may genetically connect you to one or more of hundreds of historical people across the globe, and now includes Gleb and Izjaslav.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-among-the-first-saints-of-kievan-rus">Among the First Saints of Kievan Rus&#8217;</h2>



Gleb was a prince of Tmutarakan and Novgorod during the 11th century CE. His name came from his great-uncle, Gleb Vladimirovich, one of the first saints canonized in Kievan Rus’ after the region adopted Christianity. 



Gleb was appointed ruler of the principality of Tmutarakan by his father, but was overthrown and expelled from the principality twice by his cousin Rostislav Vladimirovich. Later, he ruled the principality of Novgorod, but after his father’s death, the local population revolted against him. He tried to flee but was killed on May 30th 1078 and buried in the Holy Savior Cathedral in Chernigov, in what is now northern Ukraine. 



His skull was discovered buried in a stone sarcophagus at the site of the cathedral during construction work in 1967. Anthropologists and scientists who studied the skull confirmed that it belonged to a genetically male individual who died around the age of 25-35. They also found marks on his skull consistent with wounds made by a sword.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-battle-of-the-kalka-river">The Battle of the Kalka River</h2>



Less is known about Izjaslav Ingvarevych, the 13th century CE prince of Dorogobuzh from the Principality of Galicia-Volhynia. Some sources suggest that he was born around 1180 CE and died on May 31st, 1223 CE, during the Battle of the Kalka River. 



During this battle, Mongol armies—led by the generals Jebe and Subutai, who served under the emperor Genghis Khan—defeated a coalition composed of forces from several principalities of Kievan Rus’ and warriors from the nomadic Cuman people. Although the exact size of both armies is debated, it is said that tens of thousands of Rus’ and Cuman fighters died during the battle, while the Mongol army suffered very few casualties. 



In 1989, Izjaslav’s skull was discovered in a tomb at Lutsk castle, one of the most famous landmarks in the present-day city of Lutsk, Ukraine. Analysis of Izjaslav’s skeletal remains indicated that he died around the age of 30-40, and evidence of stab wounds on his skeleton and an arrowhead found embedded in his skull indicate that he also died a violent death. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-post-viking-age">The Post Viking Age</h2>



Researchers sequenced the genomes of Gleb and Izjaslav as part of a 2020 study of the genetics of the Viking world. Although they were not Vikings, their genomes were of interest to the study team as they lived just after the Viking Age ended in Europe (around 1050 CE). 



The Vikings had a massive impact on the genetics and history of much of Europe, including throughout Kievan Rus’, founded by Oleg the Wise, a Viking who ruled Novgorod during the 9th century CE.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-learn-more">Learn More</h2>



You can learn more about Gleb and Izjaslav (and others who lived during or around the time of the Viking Age) through 23andMe’s Historical Matches feature, which is available to all 23andMe+ Premium members. 



Not yet a 23andMe+ Premium member? Find out more about 23andMe+ Premium offerings <a href="https://www.23andme.com/membership/">here</a>.

A painting of Knyaz Gleb Svyatoslavovych killing Magi at the Novgorod veche (Prince's Court)

Historical Matches Added: Gleb Svyatoslavich and Izjaslav Ingvarevych

May is Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. In celebration, 23andMe is adding a new group of historical individuals to Historical Matches,SM our new 23andMe+ Premium membership feature that may genetically connect you to one or more of hundreds of historical people across the globe. 



This new historical group, called The Early Peoples of Remote Oceania, contains 10 new historical individuals who lived in Vanuatu—an archipelago in the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean—during the last 2,500 years.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="432" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/filipino_edu1_2x-1024x432.png" alt="A map of migration patterns for early people of Oceania." class="wp-image-32946" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/filipino_edu1_2x-1024x432.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/filipino_edu1_2x-300x127.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/filipino_edu1_2x-768x324.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/filipino_edu1_2x-880x371.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/filipino_edu1_2x-1180x498.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/filipino_edu1_2x.png 1660w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-first-people-of-remote-oceania"> The First People of Remote Oceania</h2>



The first people to settle in Remote Oceania—a region including Vanuatu, Tonga, French Polynesia, New Zealand, Guam, and Hawai’i—started arriving around 3,000 years ago. 



These first settlers belonged to an ancient group known as the ancient Austronesians. The ancient Austronesians were originally from the island now known as Taiwan and were skilled long-distance seafarers and farmers. Between 3,500 BCE and 1,250 CE, they migrated across vast distances, spreading their language and farming technology to regions as far-flung as Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in the Pacific and Madagascar off the eastern coast of Africa. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="432" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/filipino_edu3_2x-1024x432.png" alt="" class="wp-image-32947" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/filipino_edu3_2x-1024x432.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/filipino_edu3_2x-300x127.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/filipino_edu3_2x-768x324.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/filipino_edu3_2x-880x371.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/filipino_edu3_2x-1180x498.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/filipino_edu3_2x.png 1660w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



Ancient Austronesians had ancestry similar to present-day East Asian populations. However, present-day Indigenous peoples from Remote Oceania have mixed ancestry, inherited from Austronesian and Melanesian ancestors. Determining when these two groups were first mixed has been a significant <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29501328/">focus of anthropologists and geneticists</a>, and ancient DNA data has played a critical role in answering this question. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="216" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Melanesian-Austronesian.png" alt="" class="wp-image-32951" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Melanesian-Austronesian.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Melanesian-Austronesian-300x127.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-learn-more">Learn More</h2>



Discover more about The Early Peoples of Remote Oceania through 23andMe’s Historical Matches feature, available to all <a href="https://you.23andme.com/p/394a5612ffeef442/historical-matches/">23andMe+ Premium members.</a> 



Learn more about <a href="https://www.23andme.com/compare-dna-tests/">all that 23andMe offers here</a>.

A map of migration patterns for early people of Oceania.

Do You Know About the Earliest Inhabitants of Remote Oceania?

Maybe you didn&#8217;t know that April 23rd marks the 828th anniversary of the death of King Béla III of Hungary. Perhaps you know nothing about King Béla III, but you might want to, especially if you&#8217;re genetically related to this monarch from the Middle Ages. 



King Béla III was one of the most prominent rulers of the Kingdom of Hungary during the Árpád dynasty (1001–1301 CE). More than that, he left a legacy for legal and educational reforms that endured after his death. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-historical-matches">Historical Matches</h2>



Marking the anniversary, 23andMe is updating Historical MatchesSM, our new 23andMe+ Premium membership feature that may genetically connect you to one or more of hundreds of historical people across the globe. Some are unnamed individuals from specific times and places in history, while others are named historical figures like King Béla III and Ludwig Van Beethoven. 



Born in 1148, King Béla III  CE assumed the title of King of Hungary and Croatia in 1172. He is credited with promoting the use of written records in Hungary and adopting the two-barred cross (or “double cross”) as a symbol of the Kingdom of Hungary—the cross still appears on the coat of arms of Hungary to this day.



Like all rulers in the Árpád dynasty, Béla III was a direct, paternal lineage descendant of Grand Prince Árpád, who led the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin in the late 9th century. During this conquest, members of seven Hungarian tribes joined forces with one another and a group of Turkic-speaking people known as the Kabars to establish control in the region and assimilate its diverse inhabitants, which included the Avars and Slavonic groups. This conquest ultimately brought about the establishment of the Kingdom of Hungary around the year 1000.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-anniversary">Anniversary</h2>



On April 23rd, 1196 CE, when Béla III was 47 or 48, he fell ill and died. He was initially buried in the Székesfehérvár Cathedral in Hungary along with his first wife, Anna of Antioch, and other members of the Árpád family. However, after being excavated in 1848, the remains of Béla III and Anna were eventually moved to the Matthias Church in Budapest, where their sarcophagus remains.



In 2014, Béla III and Anna’s tomb was opened, and four of King Béla III’s bones were sampled for ancient DNA in the hopes of learning about his ancestry. In 2021,<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-98796-x"> his genome was published as part of a study</a> led by a team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-learn-more">Learn More</h2>



Through 23andMe&#8217;s Historical Matches feature, which is available to all <a href="https://www.23andme.com/membership/">23andMe+ Premium </a>members, you can learn more about King Béla III, including whether you are one of his distant genetic relatives.

A relief image in bronze of King Bela III of Hungary.

Do you know about King Béla III?

Are you distantly related to the legendary, like the great musical genius Ludwig Van Beethoven? Perhaps you are genetically related to a high-status Viking woman from the 9th century who was buried in an ornate coffin with ornaments made of copper and a comb made from antlers? Maybe you&#8217;re linked to an African female Hunter-Gatherer buried with her bow and arrow and an ivory armband or a Caquetio man found with shards of decorated pottery at a site in Curaçao that dates back to before the first colonizers arrived in the Americas.



Woven into our DNA is a history thread linking us to our relatives, their stories, and the broader human story.



<figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="459" height="698" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Phone_Historical-Matches.jpg" alt="A view of a Historical Match with a Viking Woman on an mobile phone screen." class="wp-image-32706" style="width:371px;height:auto" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Phone_Historical-Matches.jpg 459w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Phone_Historical-Matches-197x300.jpg 197w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 459px) 100vw, 459px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-historical-matches">Historical Matches</h2>



This week, 23andMe launches its first iteration of &#8220;Historical Matches.&#8221; This powerful and unprecedented new 23andMe+ Premium feature may connect you to one or more of 335 historical people across the globe. The technology works by identifying places in your genome where you share identical DNA inherited from a shared ancestor. This might be someone who lived long before you or your historical match. This creates a new way to learn more about your connections to the past. 



Over time, 23andMe plans to add more historical genomes to the feature, offering customers more opportunities to connect their stories to past epochs.&nbsp;



“23andMe&#8217;s Historical Matches is a technical breakthrough in our ability to accurately detect genetic connections between customers and historical individuals,” said Dan Chu, 23andMe&#8217;s Chief Product Officer. “It uses cutting-edge science to provide customers with connections to history that can be fun, and in some cases, deeply personal and profound.”



23andMe is the first leading DNA ancestry service to offer this level of genetic matching to relatives of historical peoples based on peer-reviewed published methods and deep data analysis.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-historical-dna">Historical DNA</h2>



The cutting-edge science used to create this feature developed over more than a decade as scientists, including those at 23andMe, have leveraged new technology for extracting and sequencing ancient or historical DNA from bones found at archeological sites or, in Beethoven&#8217;s case, from a lock of his hair.



<figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="637" height="1024" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/80cbf02d-2a4f-433e-9d52-71c1e557e03e-e1710785443306-637x1024.png" alt="" class="wp-image-32689" style="width:370px;height:auto" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/80cbf02d-2a4f-433e-9d52-71c1e557e03e-e1710785443306-637x1024.png 637w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/80cbf02d-2a4f-433e-9d52-71c1e557e03e-e1710785443306-187x300.png 187w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/80cbf02d-2a4f-433e-9d52-71c1e557e03e-e1710785443306-768x1234.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/80cbf02d-2a4f-433e-9d52-71c1e557e03e-e1710785443306-548x880.png 548w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/80cbf02d-2a4f-433e-9d52-71c1e557e03e-e1710785443306-735x1180.png 735w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/80cbf02d-2a4f-433e-9d52-71c1e557e03e-e1710785443306.png 945w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 637px) 100vw, 637px" /></figure>



Pioneering work by Harvard Population geneticist <a href="https://reich.hms.harvard.edu/node/14">David Reich</a> and Nobel Prize winner <a href="https://www.eva.mpg.de/genetics/staff/paabo">Svante Pääbo</a> at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology advanced our understanding of those ancient populations, human migration, and the interrelationship between our archaic human cousins, the Neanderthals, and modern humans.



Over the years, ancient or historical DNA information has upended our ideas of human history and migration. It&#8217;s also starting to offer insights into the origin of disease that could point toward new treatments.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-23andme-matches-to-historical-genomes">How 23andMe Matches to Historical Genomes</h2>



While previous ancestry features allowed customers to find out if they were genetically connected via their maternal or paternal lines, this new feature searches across the whole genome to connect members to historical individuals who lived hundreds or sometimes thousands of years ago by finding identical segments of DNA in their genomes.&nbsp;



The feature relies on publicly available data, scientific publications, and the 23andMe relative matching technology to link to these historical individuals.



Like 23andMe&#8217;s DNA Relatives feature, Historical Matches searches for shared segments of DNA between 23andMe+ Premium members and historical individuals. The feature identifies matches by finding segments and looking at the length of DNA that subscribers share with these historical individuals. Creating quality thresholds for how long a shared segment must be for a match makes it unlikely that there would be &#8220;false positive&#8221; matches.



Most 23andMe+ Premium members will have a match to one or more of these individuals. This offers them a connection to specific individuals from a particular time in history.&nbsp;



Most matches reveal very distant connections. Some matches may be much closer.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-who-are-these-historical-figures">Who Are These Historical Figures</h2>



Some of these genomes are from individuals who lived thousands of years ago. Others are just a few centuries old. Almost all are relatively anonymous, except one of the more recent figures, Beethoven, who died in 1827.&nbsp;



The Historical Matches feature includes details about each historical individual. These reports also offer details of what we know about them, how they lived, and, in some cases, how they died. The feature recounts the history of their time and the details of artifacts found with them.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-medium is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="201" height="300" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/viking-warrior-card-201x300.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-32727" style="width:375px;height:auto" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/viking-warrior-card-201x300.jpg 201w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/viking-warrior-card-768x1144.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/viking-warrior-card-687x1024.jpg 687w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/viking-warrior-card-591x880.jpg 591w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/viking-warrior-card-792x1180.jpg 792w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/viking-warrior-card.jpg 1097w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 201px) 100vw, 201px" /></figure>



Beethoven&#8217;s musical genius is well known. Now, we also know about his genetic health predispositions. Researchers extracted DNA from a lock of his hair. In 2023, scientists from the University of Cambridge and the Max Planck Institute <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(23)00181-1#%20">published an analysis of Beethoven&#8217;s genome</a>, attempting to ascertain more about his progressive hearing loss, liver disease, and gastrointestinal issues.&nbsp;



Also in 2023, scientists from Harvard, the Smithsonian, and 23andMe conducted a historical DNA analysis of 27 enslaved and freed African Americans who labored at a Maryland iron furnace. The furnace operated during the American Revolution and into the 19th century. The study published in Science reveals a hidden history of people who lived and worked there. It also provides a technical and ethical benchmark for future studies of similar, largely forgotten burial sites. 23andMe&#8217;s new Historical Matches also include the genomes of nine individuals whose DNA was best preserved. Their names are lost to history. However, we know some of how difficult and, at times, brutal life was for the people who toiled at the furnace.*



Almost all 335 historical figures are anonymous, but these men, women, and children have a story to tell. Based on the original published studies, we&#8217;ve placed these individuals into different historical groups.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/4d783a70-861b-4981-b62b-2f1e1c235c07-1024x1024.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-32699" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/4d783a70-861b-4981-b62b-2f1e1c235c07-1024x1024.jpeg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/4d783a70-861b-4981-b62b-2f1e1c235c07-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/4d783a70-861b-4981-b62b-2f1e1c235c07-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/4d783a70-861b-4981-b62b-2f1e1c235c07-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/4d783a70-861b-4981-b62b-2f1e1c235c07-880x880.jpeg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/4d783a70-861b-4981-b62b-2f1e1c235c07-271x271.jpeg 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/4d783a70-861b-4981-b62b-2f1e1c235c07-372x372.jpeg 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/4d783a70-861b-4981-b62b-2f1e1c235c07-574x574.jpeg 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/4d783a70-861b-4981-b62b-2f1e1c235c07-980x980.jpeg 980w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/4d783a70-861b-4981-b62b-2f1e1c235c07.jpeg 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-historical-groups">The Historical Groups</h2>



The Viking Age—The Vikings were Seafaring people of Scandinavia who made their indelible mark between the 8th and 11th centuries, known as <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2688-8">the Viking Age</a>.&nbsp;



Catoctin Furnace Ironworkers—The Catoctin Furnace Iron Workers were enslaved and freed African American laborers who toiled there between the 18th and 19th centuries. The site is one of the earliest industrial sites in the United States. The furnace produced iron goods, including shells fired during the siege of Yorktown. It also made ammunition for the Continental Army.



Iron Age Taiwan — The<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03336-2"> Iron Age in Taiwan</a> refers to a period when the indigenous Atayal people began to use metals like bronze, iron, and silver.&nbsp;



The Ancient Eurasian Steppe—The Eurasian Steppe encompasses the massive grasslands and plains stretching from modern-day Hungary and Romania to Mongolia and China. It was also a crossroads for human migration and a hub for the spread of the Indo-European language.



The First Peoples of the Caribbean—This group includes indigenous people who lived in the region before colonization, between about 1,000 BC and 1500 CE, or just as Spanish explorers first encountered these communities. 



The Genomic Formation of South and Central Asia — Most South Asian populations today descend from a mixture of two ancient populations that lived around 4,000 years ago. Scientists call these two populations “Ancestral South Indians” and “Ancestral North Indians.” Ancestral South Indians were also the product of two genetically distinct groups related to ancient Iranian farmers and southern Asian hunter-gatherers. That intermixing likely occurred around 2,000 BCE. Ancestral North Indians descended from pastoralists (herders) who lived in the eastern part of the Eurasian Steppe during the Bronze Age.&nbsp;



Late Stone Age and Iron Age South Africa—Many archaeological studies in Southern Africa focus on sites where our earliest human ancestors lived hundreds of thousands of years ago. However, there are also sites from the more recent past. There wasn’t a fixed date when the Late Stone Age ended in South Africa. However, the Iron Age began around 200 CE when Bantu-speaking people who experienced ironworking migrated to the region.&nbsp;



Ancient Northern Chinese Millet Farmers—The fertile basin between the Yellow and the West Liao rivers was once home to the world&#8217;s earliest complex agricultural societies. The communities there grew millet. Human migration from and through the region helped spread the cultivation of millet. Millet eventually became the staple crop of Northeast Asia, dating back almost 8,000 years.



The Ancient City of Beirut — Beirut, Lebanon has been inhabited for 5,000 years. It has been governed by many empires — Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, and Ottoman. Each of these empires left a cultural mark but not always a genetic one.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-discover-more-with-23andme">Discover more with 23andMe</h2>



23andMe+ Premium members can visit their Historical Matches to explore their connections to these figures.&nbsp;



Not yet a 23andMe+ Premium member? Find out more about 23andMe+ Premium offerings <a href="https://www.23andme.com/membership/">here</a>.



 *Are you an existing 23andMe customer interested in discovering if you have a strong genetic connection to historical individuals buried at Catoctin Furnace? Are you a 23andMe+ Premium or Total Health member? If you are not, you may be eligible to receive information about significant genetic connections you have to individuals buried at Catoctin Furnace at no additional cost. Please visit this <a href="https://you.23andme.com/user/consent/historical_matches_close_relatives/">page</a> for further information.

An illustration showing strand of DNA and a connection between a person and Beethoven

Historical Matches — Page 4