Ancient DNA has provided some of the strongest evidence yet for the eastern origins of the early Magyars.

A 2025 Cell study generated genome-wide data from 131 ancient individuals spanning the Volga-Ural region and the Carpathian Basin. The strongest genetic links connected 10th-century Magyars in Hungary with populations of the Karayakupovo horizon around the southern Urals.

The connection goes beyond broad ancestry. Researchers identified long shared DNA segments between individuals buried thousands of kilometers apart, indicating relatively recent common ancestors and, in some cases, distant biological relationships.

The deeper ancestry of these Ural groups points farther east. In key models, ancestry related to late Iron Age populations from the Tobol region of western Siberia contributed at least ~70% to several Karayakupovo and closely connected Magyar individuals.

Early Magyars were nevertheless genetically diverse. Some carried ancestry best represented by ancient northern Eurasian proxies, while others showed more Baikal-related ancestry. Additional Central Asian-related gene flow may have entered the population during their westward journey rather than in their Ural homeland.

The migration itself may have been remarkably fast. Some individuals could potentially have traveled from the Volga-Ural region to the Carpathian Basin within a single generation.

And not everyone left. Genetically related populations survived around the lower Kama into the 14th century, possibly corresponding to the Magna Hungaria described by medieval travelers.

📚 Source: Gyuris et al. (2025), Cell
Long shared haplotypes identify the southern Urals as a primary source for the 10th-century Hungarians

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