A major new international study published this week in the renowned journal Nature has provided fresh answers to one of the central questions of Croatian history – where the Croats came from and when they arrived on the Adriatic coast.
By sequencing more than 550 previously unanalysed ancient genomes, a team of scientists has confirmed that the Slavic homeland lay between present-day southern Belarus and central Ukraine.
This matches what linguistic and archaeological research had long suggested.
The research shows that between the 6th and 8th centuries there was a dramatic genetic shift across large parts of Central and Eastern Europe, including eastern Germany, Poland, Ukraine and Croatia.
In some regions, such as Germany and Poland, the genetic change was almost total as earlier Germanic groups moved away and Slavic settlers took their place.
In Croatia, however, the story was different.
Rather than replacing local populations, Slavic newcomers mixed with the existing communities, leaving a legacy of genetic and cultural diversity that can still be seen today.
Croatian Perspective
The study was carried out by an international consortium of more than 40 researchers from Germany, Austria, Poland, Czechia and Croatia, under the HistoGenes project.
Croatian scientists played a key role, including academician Mario Šlaus, head of the Anthropological Centre of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU), and former director of the Archaeological Museum in Zadar, Dr Radomir Jurić, Večenji list writes.
According to Šlaus, Croats share the same origin as other Slavic groups who migrated westward from the Dnieper River region.
“Croats came from what is today southern Belarus and northern Ukraine, largely along the upper Dnieper. We cannot be certain exactly when they began their journey, but they arrived on the Adriatic in the second half of the 7th century,” he explained.
He emphasised that this was not a wave of conquest but a long migration covering up to 3,000 kilometres, usually on foot, involving whole families and communities. Unlike many other migrations in history, it was not just warriors or men on the move.
Integration, Not Conquest
Findings from the archaeological site at Velim, excavated by Dr Jurić, underline this point. Burials from the period show both new settlers and locals buried side by side, reflecting integration rather than displacement.
Genetic evidence suggests that in Croatia up to 30% of individuals at the time had local ancestry, showing that the arrival of Croats was a gradual blending of peoples.
“The Croatian story is one of both change and continuity,” said Šlaus. “There was a strong influx of new eastern European ancestry, but not a complete genetic replacement. Communities blended together, and this egalitarian integration is reflected in burial practices where genetically different people were laid to rest equally.”
Historical Significance
The study provides the first comprehensive DNA-based insight into the early medieval Slavic migrations, a period long shrouded in mystery due to the lack of archaeological traces. For Croatia, it addresses one of the most debated aspects of national identity – the origins and early history of the Croats.
The research confirms that Croats settled the Adriatic coast in the 7th century, despite the first written mention of the Croatian name appearing only in the 9th century, after the formation of the Croatian state.
As HAZU noted, this migration was not an invasion but a complex process of intermarriage, adaptation and cultural exchange, helping shape the remarkable diversity that characterises Central and Eastern Europe today.