The ‘Green Sahara’: Between approximately 11,000 and 5,000 years ago, the Sahara was a savanna. As it dried, populations migrated towards the Nile from all directions, creating a unique genetic blend. An Indigenous Mix: This foundational population was a mix of indigenous Northeast African peoples and migrants from the Near East. The Old Kingdom Genome: Further deepening this picture, a full genome sequence from an Old Kingdom individual (~4,500 years old) revealed a profile of approximately 80% North African Neolithic ancestry and ~20% from the eastern Fertile Crescent (Mesopotamia). This confirms that the genetic makeup seen in later pharaonic periods was established from the very beginning of the civilization. The Ancient Foundation Today: This deep-rooted genetic foundation is still dominant in the modern population. A 2020 study by Gad et al. on modern Egyptians confirmed the prevalence of the Y-DNA haplogroup E1b1b, a marker with ancient origins in Northeast Africa that is shared with other regional populations like Libyans and Jordanians.
The new genomic data from the Old Kingdom provides powerful reinforcement against the population replacement myth. The individual’s gene pool (~80% local, ~20% West Asian) aligns with the idea that modern Egyptians carry a deep ancestral component traceable to the early pharaonic population, rather than being the result of later invading groups.
Very interesting and great map. Thank you.
We wuz Kangs.
A breakthrough 2025 study successfully sequenced the whole genome of an individual who lived during the Old Kingdom (radiocarbon dated to 2855–2570 BCE).
****
So, all of this is based on the genome of ONE body found? Yeah, that sounds scientific.
Gypsies!
But these in scholar Eyptologists said that Ancient Egyptians were black, like Cleopatra and King Tut. I mean, they will say that we are Racist if we don’t agree...