Ancient genomes suggest the eastern Pontic-Caspian steppe as the source of western Iron Age nomads

• DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aat4457
• Publication Date: 2018-10-04T18:23:15Z
• Authors: Maja Krzewińska; Gülşah Merve Kılınç; Anna Juras; Dilek Koptekin; Maciej Chyleński; Alexey G. Nikitin; Nikolai Shcherbakov; Iia Shuteleva; Tatiana Leonova; Liudmila Kraeva; Flarit A. Sungatov; Alfija N. Sultanova; Inna Potekhina; Sylwia Łukasik; Marta Krenz-Niedbała; Love Dalén; Vitaly Sinika; Mattias Jakobsson; Jan Storå; Anders Götherström
• Keywords: Steppe; Iron Age; Ancestor

For millennia, the Pontic-Caspian steppe was a connector between Eurasian and Europe. In this scene, multidirectional sequential movements of different populations may have occurred, including those nomads. We sequenced 35 genomes (low to medium coverage) Bronze Age individuals (Srubnaya-Alakulskaya) Iron nomads (Cimmerians, Scythians, Sarmatians) that represent four distinct cultural entities corresponding chronological sequence complexes in region. Our results suggest that, despite genetic links among these peoples, no group can be considered direct ancestor subsequent group. The nomadic were heterogeneous carried affinities with from several other regions Far East southern Urals. found evidence stable shared signature, making eastern likely source western groups.