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 Eupedia Top > Europe Guide Top > Benelux & France DNA ancestry project |
Ancient Ancestry ProjectTesting the DNA of French, Belgian, Luxembourger and Dutch peopleLast update June 2008 IntroductionWho are we ? Where do we come from ? These are questions that everybody ask at one point or another. All of us learn about our country's history at school. But history has its limits. It won't tell us what makes each of us different from each others. History books don't dig into personal genealogies, except for royalty.With the help of science, we can now determine the ancient ethnic origins of one's patrilineal ancestors, by testing the DNA of the paternally inherited Y-chromosome (Y-DNA). The purpose of this project is to estimate the percentage of Celtic, Germanic, Greco-Roman, or other ancestry in each region, province or departement of France. Luxmebourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. Anyone can contribute by testing their Y-DNA with one of the dozens of commercial company. No medical or individual information can be obtained from this DNA test. How can we trace our ancestry with DNA ?We have 23 pairs of chromosomes. The last pair is X-Y for men, and X-X for women. The Y-chromosome is the only part of the DNA that does not recombine in children. This is because the chromosomes X and Y are of different length, and cannot merge with each others. A man therefore has the exact same Y chromosome as his father, and also inherit of the two X-chromosomes from his mother. A woman, on the other hand, inherit one X-chromosome from each parent, which then merge together and become unique, like all the other pairs of chromosomes.Any man will have the same Y-DNA has his father, brothers, sons, paternal grand-father, etc. This is why all men descending from a same patrilineal ancestor (and therefore having the same surname) share the same Y-DNA. Small mutations occur every few hundreds or thousands years. Geneticists have classified the Y-DNA of all humans on earth based on these mutations (called SNP's). People sharing the same unique mutations belong to the same haplogroup, and descend from the same ancestor. Here is a list of the main European Haplogroups, with explanations on the ancient ethnicities linked to each group. At present, here is what the genetic make-up of Europe looks like, based on Y-DNA studies. Why not use mitochondrial DNA ?In Europe, the maternaly inherited mtDNA is not very useful for ancestry projects, because mtDNA is fairly evenly spread over most of the continent. More detailed tests might give us more clues about ancestral origins through the matrilineal line in the future, but not at present.What are the risks of a Y-DNA test ?None. Y-DNA represents less than 1% of the whole DNA. Because Y-DNA is shared by all male family members sharing a same surname, it cannot be used to identify individuals. Y-DNA only determines if a person is male or female. It does not carry much medical information, except possibly for infertility. Tests for ancestry purposes only use a small fraction of the Y-DNA, and cannot even be used to determine infertility.What is a geographic project ?A geographic DNA projects aim at better understanding a region's genetic make-up and genetic history by looking at haplogroups distribution. Many geographic DNA project already exist, for example in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England or Italy. Data for France and Belgium is particularly scarce, which is why Eupedia thought of creating this project. DNA tests have become cheap enough in the last few years for almost anyone to participate in such a project.Celtic, Basque, Germanic or Greco-Roman ?Ancient Gaul was Celtic, or Basque the south-west. The Greeks founded colonies along the Mediterranean coast of France. Then came the Romans, who stayed for 500 years in Gaul. The Franks, Burgunds, Visigoths and other Germanic tribes, then the Vikings, settled in various regions of France and the Benelux, bringing new haplogroups (notably I1a and R1b1c9) with them. What was the genetic impact of these invaders on the present population of these countries ? Where did the Romans settle most heavily ? Did the Asian Alans and Huns leave descendents to this day ? Are there pockets of isolated ethnicities in unexpected parts of France ? All these questions can be answered wit your help.At present, we know that the Netherlands, Flanders, the Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Normandy are regions with predominantly Germanic ancestry. However, contrarily to preconceived ideas, Luxembourg, Lorraine and Alsace may not be mainly Germanic, but Celtic. The S28 marker defining haplogroup R1b1c10 has been found in high concentrations in Switzerland, in the Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Luxembourg. There are still too few results from Alsace and Lorraine to be conclusive, but it is most likely that ancestry is similar for all this region. Discovering the genetic rift between northern and southern Germany has given us a new look on ethnicities in Europe, well beyond modern languages. France looks even more interesting. What about Belgium, this small country divided by unending linguistic quarrels ? Are Flemings and Walloons really of different origins ? Some claim that the Flemish are of Germanic descent just because they speak a Germanic language. But aren't Walloons also of Germanic descent ? History tells us that the Franks settled mostly along the Meuse valley and in the Hainaut, so in northern Wallonia. What will DNA say ? Did the ancient Belgae survive the Roman and Frankish conquests ? If so, what percentage of the population can claim Celtic ancestry ? Likewise, did the last fairly pure Gauls survive in the remote mountains of the Massif Central in France ? Help us answer all these questions by joining the project. How can I test my DNA ?DNA testing is very easy. You just need to order a test kit from a testing company, rub a buccal swab into your mouth (or spit into a small container, depending on the company), and send it back by post. Results typically take from 4 to 6 weeks once the lab has received your sample.Which test shall I choose ?For the France and Benelux project, the testing of the S28 (aka U152) SNP is essential, as it is thought to be the Celtic/Gaulish marker. Currently, only two companies offer this test, FamilyTreeDNA (FTDNA) and EthnoAncestry (EA). Therefore, we strongly recommend that you order your test from one of these two companies.For this project, the most efficient test is EA's Haploview (US$139), which will immediately determine unambiguously your haplogroup and subclade. Other companies test STR markers, which is only useful if your are looking for distant relatives, or if you were adopted and try to find your biological parents. If you choose FTDNA, go for the Y-DNA12: 12 Marker Test (US$149), which can also tell you your haplogroup. However, to know your exact subclade you will probably need further testing, especially if you belong to the R1b1c haplogroup (the most common in France and the Benelux). Can I test more than one family line ?Yes. Your test will only tell you about your agnatic (patrilineal) line, but nothing prevents you to ask other male family members having a different surname than yours to take a test too. To know your mother's agnatic line, you should test either her father (if still alive), one of her brothers, or one of her paternal uncle. The same can be done with your grandmother's agnatic lines, by testing one of her brothers, or male children of a brother. Relatives can even be distant cousins, as long as they are male and have the same surname.What shall I do once I have my results ?You can inform us of your haplogroup by email to . We will input your data into the database for the region of origin of your oldest known patrilineal ancestor. We will create a statistics tables and maps with all the collected data, and analyse the results on this website.
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Genetic make-up of the BeneluxBased on the present data, the haplogroup distribution for the Netherlands (Holland), Belgium and Luxembourg is as follow.
AnalysisSurnames in our database were analysed by region using the surname map of Belgium and the surname map of the Netherlands.The dominant haplogroup in the Benelux is R1b, divided in the subclades R1b1c9 (S21+) and R1b1c10 (S28+). Both are present in all the Benelux, although R1b1c9 is much more prevalent in the Netherlands, while R1b1c10 peaks in south-east Wallonia and Luxembourg. Haplogroups N and Q have so far only been found in the (northern) Netherlands. These haplogroups are of Siberian origin and are rarely found outside Nordic or Eastern European countries. Haplogroup J1 is associated with people of Jewish descent. It was only found mostly in the Netherlands, notably around Amsterdam - a city known for welcoming Jewish immigrants in past centuries. The coastal region of Flanders has an unusually high percentage of "exotic" haplogroups, such as E3b (from the Balkans, Greece or the Middle East), K (from the Middle East), L (from India), or G (from the Caucasus). It is likely that these are descendants of merchants who came either during the Roman period, or during the Golden Age of Bruges in the late Middle Ages, or even later through the port of Antwerp. The presence of haplogroup G could also be explained by the the ancient Alanic invasion. The Alans were a people from the north of the Caucasus region, who created a short-lived kingdom in northern France in the 5th century. The higher incidence of these haplogroups might explain why many people in West Flanders have dark hair and brown eyes. Haplgroups in Wallonia show the expected mix of Celtic (R1b1c10), Germanic (R1b1c9, I1a, R1a) and Greco-Roman (J2) genes. Based on the few samples available, the pattern seems to be that Germanic haplogroups are more common in the north, along the Sambre-Meuse axis, which is also the main population centre. Genetic make-up of FranceHere is the haplogroup distribution in France based on the data collected so far.
AnalysisNote that the above statistics are strongly biased towards North Americans of French descent, as genealogical DNA tests have not yet become popular among French people.The Alsace-Lorraine region has belonged alternatively to France and Germany. Although now part of France, a majority of surnames found in this region (especially Alsace) are German ones. A separate column was added to be able to compare the ethnic make-up of this region with the French average. Interestingly, southern haplogroups such as E, G, J1, J2 and K are more common among the Alsatians. This is probably due to the heavy ancient Roman presence at this strategic border of the empire. The column "foreign names" includes people who claim French ancestry but probably not through the patrilineal line. These results should therefore be excluded for this project. R1b is the most common haplogroup in France. It includes four main subclades : the Basque R1b1c4 (M153), Celiberian R1b1c6 (M167), the Germanic R1b1c9 (S21) and the Alpine Celtic R1b1c10 (S28). Too few subclade tests have been made to determine a geographic pattern, but it is likely that R1b1c4 is concentrated in the South-West, R1b1c6 is present on the Atlantic coast, R1b1c9 is more common in the North, and R1b1c10 in the East. Geographic distribution of ethnic features in FranceThis map shows an estimation of the dominant ancestry in each region of France based on anthropological studies. Will DNA confirm this general pattern ? Here is a summary of Y-DNA haplogroups found in France, and the ancient ethnicities associated with them :
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