DNA of the Early Roman Emperors

and Famous Associates

Yellow = YDNA          Orange = YDNA          Magenta = mtDNA          Green = mtDNA

N.B. This image is copyrighted, @2007 Alvy Ray Smith (as are all images on this page or on the alvyray.com website - see copyright info)

This chart shows the Y-chromosome DNA (YDNA) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) passed down by the first several generations of Roman emperors, and the DNA of famous associates of them. Think of mitochondria as the AA batteries that power each cell in our bodies.

The longest unbroken chain of DNA is mitochondrial DNA which lasted for six generations, so far as this chart is concerned. Aurelia, mother of Julius Caesar, passed her mtDNA (designated by magenta disks) down five generations of women to Antonia, Mark Antony's daughter, who passed it on to Claudius and his brother Germanicus. Males inherit mtDNA from their mothers but cannot pass it on, so I have shown its presence in the last two men as a small magenta disk at the lower right of the boxes representing them. The rule is this: Only women can pass mtDNA down, but all children of a woman, male or female, have her mtDNA. It dead-ends at the males.

Three early emperors had Aurelia's mtDNA: Julius Caesar, Augustus, and Claudius. (For ease of presentation I call Julius Caesar an emperor too although technically it was Augustus who was the first emperor.) The emperors and famous others are shown in bold italics.

The longest unbroken Y-chromosome DNA chain here is shown by the yellow squares. It lasts for four generations so far as this chart is concerned. The rule is: Only men can pass YDNA down.

Three early emperors had the same Y chromosome: Tiberius, Claudius, and Caligula.

The second longest unbroken chain of DNA is another mtDNA chain, this one of five generations, so far as this chart is concerned. Scribonia, wife of Augustus, carried this particular mtDNA, shown by the green disks.

Two early emperors had Scribonia's mtDNA: Caligula and Nero.

The short orange YDNA chain includes Julius Caesar and his son by Cleopatra.

Claudius is included in two of these chains, the yellow YDNA chain and the magenta mtDNA chain. Caligula is included in both the yellow YDNA chain that the green mtDNA chain. Julius Caesar is in both the orange YDNA chain and the magenta mtDNA chain.

Hints on how to read this chart: Blue arrows show the direction of descent. Horizontal blue bars bind siblings together. Disks are females. Squares are males. Red curved lines join "spouses" - that is, procreative couples. In cases of multiple spouses, the child goes with the most tightly bound spouse.

For example, Augustus married (1) Scribonia and (2) Livia. His daughter Julia is Scribonia's child not Livia's, because Scribonia's disk is closer to Augustus's square than is Livia's disk.

Another example, Julia married (1) Marcellus, (2) Agrippa, and (3) Tiberius, but her daughter Agrippina is Agrippa's (the name also tells).

And Octavia married (1) Marcellus and had Marcellus (again the name tells), and (2) Mark Antony and had Antonia (the name again).

I have sometimes sacrificed correct order of spouses and children to make the chart layout more pleasing. Many spouses and children are not shown to keep the chart relatively simple.

I obtained the data for this chart from Anthony Everitt, Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor (New York: Random House, 2006) and from Wikipedia. I have omitted much information but have added the DNA information which makes this chart unique. The gray squares and disks have DNA that wasn't interesting for this exercise in my opinion.

You might want to browse my entire site. Or my genealogy site.  Or the Riggs site.

Alvy Ray Smith, Riggs/Riggs DNA Study Group Administrator