▁obtain ing ▁well - pres erved , ▁un cont amin ated ▁DNA ▁from ▁m umm ies ▁has ▁been ▁a ▁problem ▁for ▁the ▁field ▁and ▁that ▁these ▁samples ▁provided ▁" the ▁first ▁reliable ▁data ▁set ▁obtained ▁from ▁ancient ▁Egypt ians ▁using ▁high - through put ▁DNA ▁sequ encing ▁methods ". ▁ ▁The ▁study ▁was ▁able ▁to ▁measure ▁the ▁mit och ond rial ▁DNA ▁of ▁ 9 0 ▁individuals , ▁and ▁it ▁showed ▁that ▁the ▁mit och ond rial ▁DNA ▁composition ▁of ▁Egypt ian ▁m umm ies ▁has ▁shown ▁a ▁high ▁level ▁of ▁aff inity ▁with ▁the ▁DNA ▁of ▁the ▁populations ▁of ▁the ▁Near ▁East . ▁A ▁shared ▁dr ift ▁and ▁mixture ▁analysis ▁of ▁the ▁DNA ▁of ▁these ▁ancient ▁Egypt ian ▁m umm ies ▁shows ▁that ▁the ▁connection ▁is ▁strong est ▁with ▁ancient ▁populations ▁from ▁the ▁Lev ant , ▁the ▁Near ▁East ▁and ▁An atol ia , ▁and ▁to ▁a ▁less er ▁extent ▁modern ▁populations ▁from ▁the ▁Near ▁East ▁and ▁the ▁Lev ant . ▁In ▁particular ▁the ▁study ▁finds ▁" that ▁ancient ▁Egypt ians ▁are ▁most ▁closely ▁related ▁to ▁Ne ol ith ic ▁and ▁Bron ze ▁Age ▁samples ▁in ▁the ▁Lev ant , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁to ▁Ne ol ith ic ▁An atol ian ▁populations ". ▁ ▁Gen ome - wide ▁data ▁could ▁only ▁be ▁successfully ▁extracted ▁from ▁three ▁of ▁these ▁individuals . ▁Of ▁these ▁three , ▁the ▁Y - chrom os ome ▁ha p lo groups ▁of ▁two ▁individuals ▁could ▁be ▁assigned ▁to ▁the ▁Middle - E astern ▁ha p lo group ▁J ,