Being Sicilian I have always been curious about my ancestry. Sicily has been conquered by so many ethnic groups that I figured my ancestry would be surprising on some level. Ancestry offers a simple DNA test whose results are anything but basic.
The actual DNA test was a bit gross in that you need to collect a lot of saliva in a tube. The results came back in a couple of weeks. I was very intrigued not only by the results but with the very accurate and detailed descriptions of the various ethnic groups on the ancestry website. The DNA test provided me with an ethnicity estimate which included a breakdown by percentage. For example 11% of my DNA is linked to the Caucasus region. Clicking on that region delved even further into the Caucasus region describing the general area, running northwest to southeast between the Black and Caspian Seas, as well as the typical genetic makeup of a person native to that region. Basically it showed how other people who are predominantly from that area look on a DNA test. A great history on the area is also included which I found very interesting. Being Sicilian I wasn’t surprised that my predominant ethnic group was Italy/Greece by 61%.
Besides learning about yourself Ancestry.com also shows you people who are ethnically similar to your profile. It rates them as to how close of a match they are and how they could possible be related to me. One of my own cousins had done the DNA test and came up as a close match! At $99 per test, I think this is an affordable way to look into one’s past, find connections to others and learn about various ethnic groups. I think this is a great gift for the person who has everything!