🪆 Slavic ancestry across today’s Europe

Ancient DNA ties the 6th–8th century movements from northeastern Europe to the ancestry seen in many modern groups. Today, Slavic-speaking populations carry the highest Slavic-period (SP) ancestry—especially Ukraine, Belarus, and Poland.

In Germany, there’s a sharp contrast: Sorbs in Upper Lusatia retain very high SP ancestry (~88%), while nearby German-speaking Saxony averages ~40%.

Across the Balkans, SP ancestry is widespread but mixed with local layers, and it tapers toward Greece and Albania.

Overall, SP ancestry forms a north-to-south and west-to-south gradient, strongest around the Baltic–Polish–Belarusian zone and decreasing toward Central Europe and the Mediterranean.

Takeaway: The Slavic expansions left a dominant genetic imprint in eastern Central & Eastern Europe, with gradients into neighboring non-Slavic groups—mirroring early medieval migrations and subsequent local mixing.

Source: Gretzinger et al., 2025. Ancient DNA connects large-scale migration with the spread of Slavs.