▁and ▁one ▁to ▁ha p lo group ▁E 1 b 1 b 1 ▁common ▁in ▁North ▁Africa . ▁The ▁absolute ▁estimates ▁of ▁sub - S ah aran ▁African ▁ancest ry ▁in ▁these ▁three ▁individuals ▁r anged ▁from ▁ 6 ▁to ▁ 1 5 %, ▁which ▁is ▁significantly ▁lower ▁than ▁the ▁level ▁of ▁sub - S ah aran ▁African ▁ancest ry ▁in ▁the ▁modern ▁Egypt ians ▁from ▁Ab us ir ▁El me leq , ▁who ▁" range ▁from ▁ 1 4 ▁to ▁ 2 1 % ." ▁The ▁study ' s ▁authors ▁ca ution ed ▁that ▁the ▁m umm ies ▁may ▁be ▁un re present ative ▁of ▁the ▁An cient ▁Egypt ian ▁population ▁as ▁a ▁whole . ▁ ▁Over all ▁the ▁m umm ies ▁studied ▁were ▁closer ▁gen et ically ▁to ▁Near ▁Eastern ▁people ▁than ▁the ▁modern ▁Egypt ian ▁population , ▁which ▁has ▁a ▁greater ▁proportion ▁of ▁gen es ▁coming ▁from ▁sub - S ah aran ▁Africa ▁after ▁the ▁Roman ▁period . ▁These , ▁pe op les , ▁however , ▁differ ed ▁from ▁the ▁pre - R oman ▁ancient ▁Egypt ians . ▁ ▁The ▁data ▁suggest ▁a ▁high ▁level ▁of ▁gen etic ▁interaction ▁with ▁the ▁Near ▁East ▁since ▁ancient ▁times , ▁probably ▁going ▁back ▁to ▁Pre histor ic ▁Egypt : ▁" O ur ▁data ▁seem ▁to ▁indicate ▁close ▁ad mi xture ▁and ▁aff inity ▁at ▁a ▁much ▁earlier ▁date , ▁which ▁is ▁un sur pr ising ▁given ▁the ▁long ▁and ▁complex ▁connections ▁between ▁Egypt ▁and ▁the ▁Middle ▁East . ▁These ▁connections ▁date ▁back ▁to