Palaeogenetics is invaluable for studying periods with limited historical or archaeological evidence, Todor Chobanov, head of a Bulgarian Academy of Sciences project integrating genetic methods into historical research, said at the BTA National Press Club on Tuesday.

Chobanov was presenting the results of Epochs of History: Integrating Genetic Methods into Historical Research, a Bulgarian Academy of Sciences project funded by the Bulgarian National Science Fund and carried out by the Institute of Balkan Studies and Centre of Thracology.

He said palaeogenetics, or palaeogenomics, had become a key field over the past decade because the human genome can reveal an individual’s ancestry far beyond the reach of conventional historical evidence.
“We collected our samples in 2022-2023, began the actual sequencing in 2024, and over the last roughly two years have also been working very actively on publications,” Chobanov said. He added that the project had built a strong partner network for studying ancient genomes.

The project has sequenced DNA samples from the Bulgarian lands and analysed them against already sequenced ancient DNA from across Eurasia. The aim is to interpret the new data alongside existing historical and archaeological research.
For the first time in Bulgaria, historians, archaeologists, geneticists, anthropologists, bioinformatics experts and isotope-analysis specialists are working together to set standards for the historical interpretation of genetic data and its integration into the history of the Balkans and Bulgaria.

The study focuses on the origin, ancestral homeland and migration route of the Proto-Bulgarians and the South Slavs. Its findings are expected to be published jointly with Harvard University in leading scientific journals.

Team members also presented results related to sequenced genomes, databases, and completed and forthcoming publications.