RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Ancient genomes suggest the eastern Pontic-Caspian steppe as the source of western Iron Age nomads
JF Science Advances
JO Sci Adv
FD American Association for the Advancement of Science
SP eaat4457
DO 10.1126/sciadv.aat4457
VO 4
IS 10
A1 Krzewińska, Maja
A1 Kılınç, Gülşah Merve
A1 Juras, Anna
A1 Koptekin, Dilek
A1 Chyleński, Maciej
A1 Nikitin, Alexey G.
A1 Shcherbakov, Nikolai
A1 Shuteleva, Iia
A1 Leonova, Tatiana
A1 Kraeva, Liudmila
A1 Sungatov, Flarit A.
A1 Sultanova, Alfija N.
A1 Potekhina, Inna
A1 Łukasik, Sylwia
A1 Krenz-Niedbała, Marta
A1 Dalén, Love
A1 Sinika, Vitaly
A1 Jakobsson, Mattias
A1 Storå, Jan
A1 Götherström, Anders
YR 2018
UL http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/10/eaat4457.abstract
AB For millennia, the Pontic-Caspian steppe was a connector between the Eurasian steppe and Europe. In this scene, multidirectional and sequential movements of different populations may have occurred, including those of the Eurasian steppe nomads. We sequenced 35 genomes (low to medium coverage) of Bronze Age individuals (Srubnaya-Alakulskaya) and Iron Age nomads (Cimmerians, Scythians, and Sarmatians) that represent four distinct cultural entities corresponding to the chronological sequence of cultural complexes in the region. Our results suggest that, despite genetic links among these peoples, no group can be considered a direct ancestor of the subsequent group. The nomadic populations were heterogeneous and carried genetic affinities with populations from several other regions including the Far East and the southern Urals. We found evidence of a stable shared genetic signature, making the eastern Pontic-Caspian steppe a likely source of western nomadic groups.