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Table of Contents:
Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1
A Dynamic Synthesis: Neolithic and Kurgan Interactions in Southeastern Europe .................... 2
Historical Background ......................................................................................................... 2
Southern Farmer and Northeastern Kurgan Ancestry in Europe (STR) .............................. 7
Non-Local Genetic Components in Southeastern Europe (STR) ........................................ 9
Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 11
DNA Tribes® Announcements for November 2013 .................................................................. 12
Sale for New 22 Marker and 26 Marker Kit STR Tests .................................................... 12
About DNA Tribes® SNP (genome data required) ............................................................. 13
Introduction
Hello, and welcome to the November 2013 issue of DNA Tribes® Digest. New studies of
ancient DNA have identified at least two groups of populations active in prehistoric Europe:
Neolithic Farmers (related to modern Southeast Europeans) and “Kurganized” Pastoralists (in
part related to Mesolithic hunting-fishing populations and modern Northeast Europeans).
This month’s article explores the complex interplay of these cultures in Southeastern
Europe using autosomal STR data. Results include geographical analysis of Farmer and
Pastoralist admixture throughout Europe. Results also examine Mediterranean and West Asian
genetic components in present day populations of Greece, Italy, and the Eastern Danube that
might reflect traces of ancestral Neolithic Farmer populations.
Best regards,
Lucas Martin
DNA Tribes
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A Dynamic Synthesis: Neolithic and Kurgan Interactions in
Southeastern Europe
Historical Background
Introduction: Gimbutas’ Model of Prehistory and New Findings from Ancient DNA
According to the archaeologist Marija Gimbutas, European civilization emerged from a
lengthy, turbulent process of interactions between two streams of culture:
1. Old Europe: A more peaceful, egalitarian, matrifocal, and artistic model of society that
emerged among the high density agrarian settlements of the Balkan Peninsula during the
Neolithic Period (c. 7,000 – 3,500 BCE). Related to Neolithic cultures of the Fertile
Crescent and Mediterranean.
2. The Kurgan Culture: A more warlike, hierarchical, patricentric, and expansionary model
of society that emerged among the lower density pastoralist societies near the Black Sea
during the Copper and Bronze Ages (c. 4,500 – 2,500 BCE). Related to Eastern European
Mesolithic populations and metal using cultures of the Caucasus Mountains.
In the course of several millennia of invasions and assimilation between these two competing
models of society, early European cultures combined elements of both models (Old European and
Kurgan). Nevertheless, according to Gimbutas, the Indo-European languages spoken by the Kurgan
pastoralists 1 became dominant in most parts of Europe, and the matrifocal Old European traditions
became a type of subaltern or submerged cultural stream.
This theory was developed in the later 20th century, based on Gimbutas’ in depth, first-hand
knowledge of Eastern European archaeology, which set her apart from most of her colleagues and
critics (past and present). 2
However, more recent advances in archaeology have raised several objections to her
descriptions of the “Kurgan” cultural ensemble. For instance, the military use of horse riding was
unimportant until the Iron Age, when it replaced the chariot based warfare attested in the Bronze Age
archaeological record (starting with the Sintashta-Petrovka culture near the Ural Mountains) and early
literature (such as the Mahabharata, Táin Bó Cúailnge, and Sepher M'lakhim or “Book of Kings”).
More fundamentally, other academics such as Colin Renfrew have proposed an alternate
Anatolian hypothesis of Indo-European language origins. Renfrew’s model proposes that the IndoEuropean languages first emerged in an agrarian context (either in Anatolia or the Balkan Peninsula).
This model has a type of prima facie plausibility, because it was the agrarian societies that fueled early
population growth and supported the formation of inter-population cultural networks (such as the
Carpatho-Balkan Metallurgical Province or CBMP described in the work of Evgeny Chernykh). 3
1
It is should be emphasized that no written languages are attested in Europe during this period, so the languages
involved in these archaeological complexes remain unknown and entirely theoretical.
2
Gimbutas’ theories, based on her extensive fieldwork in Eastern European archaeology, are documented in The
Kurgan Culture and the Indo-Europeanization of Europe. Her original papers thoroughly examine several topics
not considered in recent popular publications, such as The Horse, the Wheel, and Language by David Anthony.
3
See “The ‘Steppe Belt’ of stockbreeding cultures in Eurasia during the Early Metal Age” by Evgeny Chernykh,
available at http://tp.revistas.csic.es/index.php/tp/article/viewFile/149/150.
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Despite these objections, Gimbutas’ basic model of at least two major culture complexes in
Europe between the Copper and Bronze Ages is consistent with new analysis of ancient DNA
performed in recent years. Specifically, new data from Central Europe indicate major demographic
changes involving multiple populations: some related to present day Southeast Europeans (such as
Early Neolithic LBK farmers) and others related to present day Northeast Europeans (such as Late
Neolithic and Bronze Age Corded Ware and Unetice pastoralists).4
To explore new evidence for multiple populations that shaped the early genetic landscape of
Europe, the Historical Background of this article will focus on Southeastern Europe to explore:
(1) Mediterranean and Fertile Crescent related Neolithic expansions;
(2) Eastern European related “Kurgan” expansions;
(3) Mixture and synthesis of both Neolithic and Kurgan complexes to produce the early
complex societies of the European Bronze Age and Iron Age.
Old Europe: Neolithic Expansions in the Balkan Peninsula
The Neolithic Revolution,
which introduced new forms of society
based on settled agriculture, began in
the Fertile Crescent (Mesopotamia and
nearby parts of Western Asia 5) and
entered Europe primarily via the
Aegean Sea. Perhaps stimulated by
enterprising traders willing to journey
along the northern sea and river routes,
the first Neolithic societies in Europe
emerged in the Balkan Peninsula.
Continuing early links with the
Fertile Crescent, Hassuna-Samarra
(Ubaid related) pottery and clay
figurines (also found in Anatolia and
Levant) appeared in Southeastern
Europe between 6,700 – 6,500 BCE. 6
Figure 1: Neolithic (Fertile Crescent related) agrarian
settlements in Southeastern Europe.
4
See "Ancient DNA Reveals Key Stages in the Formation of Central European Mitochondrial Genetic Diversity"
by Brandt et. al. at http://www.sciencemag.org/content/342/6155/257.short.
5
For analysis of Mediterranean related genetic components shared throughout the Fertile Crescent and
surrounding areas, see http://dnatribes.com/dnatribes-digest-2013-08-01.pdf.
6
See Gimbutas, The Kurgan Culture and the Indo-Europeanization of Europe, pp.121-122. Balkan-Aegean links
with the Levant continued in later periods. For instance, Minoan artwork and architecture appear in Alalakh, Tel
Kabri (in the Western Galilee), and the Hyksos city of Avaris in the Nile Delta. Similarly, Mycenaean artifacts
appear at the time of the Bronze-Iron transition, such as Akhetaten (Tell el-Amarna) and Philistine settlements.
In later periods, Spartans (Iron Age Dorian Greeks) claimed Abrahamic related ancestry, and the unique Spartan
form
of
society
was
sometimes
compared
to
tribal
laws
of
ancient
Israel;
see
http://theol.eldoc.ub.rug.nl/FILES/root/2010/jewsandspartans/SpartanJews.pdf. In contrast, imperial Rome was
sometimes compared to Edom (Iron Age Transjordan) and the “Kittim” (possibly Hittites) in Hebrew sources,
such as the Dead Sea Scrolls. West Asian migrations to the Aegean and Italy are archaeologically attested during
the Orientalizing Period (contemporary with 8th century BCE Assyrian and Hallstatt C expansions).
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By approximately 5,500 BCE, a network of populous agrarian settlements (some possibly speaking
early Indo-European languages) emerged in the Balkan Peninsula.7 These Balkan cultures were dubbed
“Old Europe” by Marija Gimbutas, and more recently have been named the Carpatho-Balkan
Metallurgical Province (CBMP) by Evgeny Chernykh (see Figure 1).
Mesolithic Re-adaptations and “Kurgan” Expansions in Southeastern Europe
Living alongside these new Neolithic farming settlements were older hunting-fishing cultures
that persisted outside of the Balkan Peninsula. New ancient DNA findings suggest that some of these
non-agricultural populations were genetically similar to present day Northeast European (Baltic)
populations. 8 During the Copper Age and Bronze Age, some of these hunting-fishing cultures
participated in the formation of new “Kurgan” societies influenced by the Maykop culture of the
Caucasus (in turn possibly related to the Nahal Mishmar artisans of the Judean Desert).
According to Gimbutas, these new Kurgan groups re-adapted agricultural technologies
(pastoralism in particular) and emerged as autonomous societies near the Black Sea before expanding in
several waves to the Middle East, Central Asia, and Europe between 4,500 – 2,500 BCE. Similarly, the
more recent work of Evgeny Chernykh has documented the formation of a Maykop (North Caucasus)
derived Circum-Pontic Metallurgical Province involving the Yamna and Catacomb Cultures near the
Black Sea between approximately 3,300 and 1,800 BCE.
Nevertheless, despite waves of invasion and new cultural influences, elements of the “Old
European” culture persisted near the Aegean Sea until the mid-second millennium BCE. 9 Similarly,
new ancient DNA evidence has suggested that some Neolithic agrarian communities (such as Central
European Linear Pottery or LBK farmers) were, although genetically distinctive, in part comparable to
present day Southeast European populations.10
Although the “Kurganization” process was most influential in Eastern and Central Europe,
some of the Kurgan waves eventually reached Southeastern Europe and the East Mediterranean by the
third millennium BCE (see map in Figure 2). Notably, the third millennium BCE “Kurgan IV”
expansions took place during a period of Kura-Araxes and Maykop migrations in West Asia and the
formation of eastern Sumerian related “secondary states” in Asia. 11
Further, an analysis of autosomal DNA has shown that ancient TRB farmers living in Neolithic
Scandinavia were genetically similar to present day Cypriot and Greek populations. 12 This
archaeological and ancient DNA evidence suggests that ancient European farming populations
(including farmers in distant parts of Central and Northern Europe) were genetically similar to
some present day Southeast Europeans and other Mediterraneans.
7
For more about the CBMP, see http://dnatribes.com/dnatribes-digest-2012-10-01.pdf.
See "Origins and Genetic Legacy of Neolithic Farmers and Hunter-Gatherers in Europe" by Skoglund et. al. at
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/336/6080/466.abstract and “Reconstructing the Human Past using Ancient
and Modern Genomes” at http://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:645462/FULLTEXT01.pdf.
9
See Gimbutas, The Kurgan Culture and the Indo-Europeanization of Europe, p. 130.
10
See http://www.sciencemag.org/content/suppl/2013/10/10/342.6155.257.DC1/Brandt.SM.pdf, p. 51.
11
See M. Gimbutas, The Kurgan Culture and the Indo-Europeanization of Europe pp. 157-174, 232, 252-3. For
discussion of Maykop and Kura-Araxes expansions, see http://dnatribes.com/dnatribes-digest-2013-08-01.pdf.
12
Intriguingly, after Cyprus and Greece, the next most similar populations were France and the Netherlands. See
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/suppl/2012/04/25/336.6080.466.DC1/Skoglund.SM.pdf, p. 53.
8
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Figure 2: Map of “Kurgan IV” expansions in the Eastern Mediterranean. For more information, see Marija
Gimbutas, The Kurgan Culture and the Indo-Europeanization of Europe, pp. 159-169.
Adding a new dimension to Gimbutas’ Kurgan model, recent ancient mtDNA evidence has
demonstrated that the maternal ancestry of several “Kurganized” Central European cultures (including
Corded Ware and Únětice populations) was genetically comparable both to present day Northeast
Europeans and (surprisingly) Caucasus Mountains populations. 13 Taken together with Baltic-like
autosomal DNA from ancient Pitted Ware hunting-fishing populations, 14 this suggests a partial
continuity of Mesolithic and “Kurgan” complexes with modern populations of Eastern Europe.
However (and in accordance with Gimbutas’ Kurgan model), these ancient DNA suggest
additional ancestral links with the cultures of the Caucasus Mountains during this period. Notably, this
might reflect common ancestry from West Asian cultures that expanded during this period, such as
Maykop and/or Kura-Araxes populations.
One possibility (discussed in previous Digest articles) is that some of these Kurgan expansions
involved satem varieties of Indo-European, related to ancestral Eastern European (Balto-Slavic) and
Asian (Indo-Iranian) languages. If so, the “Old European” cultures that were pushed south into the
Aegean might have included speakers of early centum languages (related to ancient Greek and other
Mediterranean and Western European languages, such as Germanic and Italo-Celtic languages).15
Continuing eastern cultural contacts that began with Maykop, later waves of Kurgan
expansions are associated with the spread of new Asian crops and agricultural practices into Eastern
and Central Europe. For instance, the Urnfield and related Lusatian (Lausitz) cultures (occupying the
former Únětice territory in Central Europe) involved the widespread cultivation of rye (possibly
13
See http://www.sciencemag.org/content/suppl/2013/10/10/342.6155.257.DC1/Brandt.SM.pdf, pp.57, 59; 67, 69.
See http://www.sciencemag.org/content/336/6080/466.abstract.
15
For more detailed discussion, see http://dnatribes.com/dnatribes-digest-2013-08-01.pdf.
14
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originating near Anatolia) and millet suited for growing in dry, sandy soils, together with horse bean,
flax, poppy, and a new emphasis on herding caprids (sheep and/or goats) instead of cattle. 16
Notably, the Central European complex of “Kurganized” Únětice-Tumulus-Urnfield cultures
has been suggested as a source population with multiple offshoots, including the Italian Terramare and
Villanovan cultures, possibly ancestral to the pre-Roman Etruscans (Rasenna or Tyrsenoi). 17 For early
Southeastern and Western European populations, these Kurganized Central European cultures might
have acted both as a barrier and a conduit of gene flow from Northeastern Europe.
Mixture and Cultural Synthesis in Iron Age Europe
In later periods, these complex inter-cultural links between Southeastern and Northeastern
Europe continued. The factors driving these changing relationships probably included climate
fluctuations and the growing importance of maritime commerce during the Iron Age.
Because Southeastern Europe offered access to lucrative Mediterranean trade routes, the craggy
and strategic Greek islands and fertile landscapes of Italy would have acted as a powerful draw for early
European peoples seeking their fortunes and a better life in the Iron Age. In turn, the distant northern
lands of Europe offered natural resources, such as Baltic amber (abundant in Mycenaean Greece and as
found as far away as Egypt and Assyria).
For instance, Iron Age trade links between the Po Valley of Northern Italy and the Baltic Sea
are attested by the spread of expressively decorated face urns (suggesting a possibility of an ancient
Etruscan influence near present day Gdańsk, Poland). 18 Other links between Italy and the Baltic Sea are
suggested by tribal and place names (Venezia; Veneti) attested near the Adriatic Sea and Vistula
River, 19 both areas associated with the early “Amber Road” trade routes.
Summary
In summary, both archaeological and ancient mtDNA evidence support the interactions of
multiple population strata in prehistoric Europe. These included Southeast European related
Neolithic farmers (possibly also related to early Fertile Crescent populations), as well as Northeast
European related Kurgan pastoralists (in part descended from Mesolithic hunter-gatherer cultures
but also influenced by metal-using Caucasus Mountains populations).
These two archaeological complexes, whose names and languages remain a subject of
speculation, were based on contrasting models of society (settled and agrarian “Old Europeans” versus
mobile and pastoralist “Kurgan” cultures). However, their dynamic interplay shaped the genetic
landscape of Europe and eventually generated the first Iron Age civilizations that emerged in
Southeastern Europe, including the classical Greeks and Etruscans.
16
See Europe Before History by Kristiansen and Larsson, pp.106; 113. The Urnfield use of new crops and
egalitarian village society paralleled the spread of arid adapted crops in South Asia and Africa in the second
millennium BCE. See http://dnatribes.com/dnatribes-digest-2013-10-01.pdf.
17
See Gimbutas, The Kurgan Culture and the Indo-Europeanization of Europe, p. 328.
18
See Cunliffe, Europe Between the Oceans p. 301; Gimbutas, The Balts, pp. 74-77; Kristiansen, Europe Before
History, pp.161-174. Later Baltic links with southern related cultures are suggested by accounts of Widewuto and
Bruteno, described as kings of the Cimbri driven out of their lands (near the Black Sea?) by invading Goths.
19
Cf. Vanir, Fianna, Phoinike. Notably, Theo Vennemann has suggested an early Semitic superstrate in the
Germanic languages related to weaponry, sea navigation, law, etc. http://vennemann.userweb.mwn.de/#abstracts;
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024384105000690.
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Southern Farmer and Northeastern Kurgan Ancestry in Europe (STR)
To examine the relative contributions of Neolithic farmers and Bronze Age Kurgan cultures,
percentages of Southeast European (Aegean) and Northeast European (Slavic-Baltic) components of
DNA Tribes® Europa sub-regions were identified based on autosomal STR data. 20
This admixture analysis excluded all other European genetic components, but did not exclude
genetic components from outside of Europe. Please note that this analysis is based on modern Aegean
and Slavic-Baltic populations, which have been affected by later migrations and admixture. For this
reason, these modern regional percentages only in part represent the ancient farmer and pastoralist
genetic components of Europe. Results are summarized in Table 1 and illustrated in Figure 3.
Figure 3: Southeast European Farmer (Aegean) and Kurgan Pastoralist (Slavic-Baltic) related genetic components
in European sub-regions identified by DNA Tribes® Europa analysis (excluding all other European admixture).
Please note that this analysis is based on modern Aegean and Slavic-Baltic populations, which only in part
represent the ancient farmer and pastoralist genetic components of Europe.
Discussion: Results in Table 1 reflect a gradual genetic transition between Aegean (Southeast
European mixed “Neolithic Farmer” related populations) and Slavic-Baltic (Northeast European mixed
Mesolithic and “Kurgan” Pastoralist populations) components. The largest Aegean percentages are
expressed for the Italian (87.6%), Basque (83.6%), and Greek (77.7%) sub-regions within Europe. This
might reflect a higher level of Neolithic Farmer related ancestry preserved in these Mediterranean
populations, which have been more isolated from Kurgan related expansions than other parts of Europe.
The largest Slavic-Baltic percentages are expressed for the Polish (100%), Russian (99.1%),
and Scythian (93.6%) sub-regions in Europe. Notably, populations in all of these regions speak satem
varieties of Indo-European (represented by the modern Slavic and Baltic languages).
20
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However, it should be emphasized that all of these modern Central and Eastern European
populations might be in part descended from farmer populations (such as Cucuteni-Trypillian
communities) absorbed by Kurgan cultures. 21 For this reason, these percentages reflect at most relative
proportions of Neolithic Farmer and Kurgan Pastoralist ancestral components and their present day
geographical distribution in Europe.
Mediterranean and Western European sub-regions express intermediate levels of both
Aegean and Slavic-Baltic genetic components. This suggests that these populations might be the
product of a long process of integration and synthesis involving both Neolithic Farmer and Kurgan
Pastoralist related populations. Some of this mixture might have taken place locally in Mediterranean
and Western Europe. However, it is also possible that some early mixed populations originating closer
to Central Europe, then later expanded westwards to become ancestors of present day Iberians and
Northwest Europeans. 22
Horn of Africa
North African
Arabian
Levantine
Mesopotamian
Aegean "Mixed
Neolithic Farmer"
South Asian
Native American
East Asian
Siberian
0.0%
0.7%
0.0%
1.1%
0.0%
0.0%
87.6%
10.1%
0.0%
0.5%
0.0%
0.0%
Basque
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
83.6%
12.7%
0.2%
0.0%
0.0%
3.5%
Greek
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2.4%
9.2%
10.7%
77.7%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
Belgic
0.7%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
74.5%
24.6%
0.0%
0.2%
0.0%
0.0%
Thracian
3.6%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
67.3%
22.4%
6.7%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
Spanish
0.0%
0.0%
8.4%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
62.8%
26.7%
2.1%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
Celtic
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
46.7%
48.5%
0.0%
4.8%
0.0%
0.0%
Portuguese
1.1%
0.0%
15.9%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
44.1%
37.6%
0.6%
0.7%
0.0%
0.0%
Germanic
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
42.2%
57.8%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
Norse
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
37.9%
58.8%
0.0%
3.3%
0.0%
0.0%
Balkan
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
34.8%
65.2%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
Polish
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
100.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
Russian
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
99.1%
0.0%
0.7%
0.1%
0.0%
Scythian
2.4%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
93.6%
0.0%
0.6%
0.0%
3.4%
Finnic
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
78.4%
0.0%
9.0%
0.0%
12.6%
Slavic-Baltic
"Mixed Kurgan
Pastoralist"
Sub-Sah. African
Italian
Europa Sub-Region
Urals
0.0%
72.5% 0.0% 5.3% 0.0% 22.2%
0.0% 0.0%
0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
0.0%
Table 1: Southeast European Farmer (Aegean) and Kurgan Pastoralist (Slavic-Baltic) related genetic components
in European sub-regions identified by DNA Tribes® Europa analysis (excluding all other European admixture).
*Please note that this analysis is based on modern Aegean and Slavic-Baltic populations, which only in part
represent the ancient farmer and pastoralist genetic components of Europe.
21
22
For more detailed discussion, see http://dnatribes.com/dnatribes-digest-2012-10-01.pdf.
http://dnatribes.com/dnatribes-digest-2012-07-01.pdf; http://dnatribes.com/dnatribes-digest-2012-08-01.pdf.
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In addition to the Aegean and Slavic-Baltic components discussed in this article, percentages of
additional non-European genetic components are expressed in several parts of Europe. More detailed
analysis of these relationships between Europe and neighboring African and Eurasian populations is
included in these past Digest articles: http://dnatribes.com/dnatribes-digest-2013-01-02.pdf
and http://dnatribes.com/dnatribes-digest-2013-04-02.pdf.
Non-Local Genetic Components in Southeastern Europe (STR)
To further explore the genetic components potentially involved in early Neolithic Farmer
populations and later Kurgan Pastoralist expansions, non-local genetic contributions in the sub-regions
of Southeastern Europe were identified based on autosomal STR data. 23 Results are summarized in
Table 2 and illustrated in Figure 3.
Mesopotamian
North African
Arabian
Indus Valley
Other
Thracian (Eastern Balkans)
Italian (Italian Peninsula)
Levantine
Iberian
Northwest
European
Slavic-Baltic
40.1%
1.1%
25.6%
24.4%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
3.3%
5.4%
0.0%
44.7%
16.5%
16.9%
19.3%
0.0%
2.6%
0.0%
0.0%
Sub-Region
Greek (Greece and Sicily)
21.6% 13.5%
5.8% 39.5% 18.5% 1.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Table 2: Non-local genetic components in sub-regions of Southeastern Europe. The Iberian and
Mesopotamian components (possibly related to Neolithic Farming populations) are highlighted.
Discussion: Results in Table 2 express a variety of non-local genetic components in
Southeastern Europe. However, substantial percentages of only two non-local components are
expressed in all Aegean (Southeast European) sub-regions: Iberian and Mesopotamian. One or both of
these shared Iberian and Mesopotamian components might reflect the genetic traces of early
Neolithic Farmer populations.
Iberian percentages (related to Spanish, Portuguese, and Basque populations) are largest for
the Thracian sub-region (25.6%) that includes present day Romanians, Macedonians, Moldovans, and
to some degree Slovak and Hungarian populations of the Eastern Balkan Peninsula. Notably, the
Thracian sub-region is geographically distant from the Iberian Peninsula. For this reason, these Iberianlike components are a good candidate for early ancestral components dating to early migrations (such as
Neolithic expansions in the Balkan Peninsula) that later influenced the genetic landscape in more
distant parts of Europe (such as the Iberian Peninsula).
Mesopotamian percentages (related to populations of Anatolia, the Caucasus Mountains, and
neighboring areas of Highland West Asia) are largest in the Greek sub-region that includes present day
Greece and Sicily (39.5%). These shared components might in part reflect shared ancestry with
23
For information about the 32 world genetic regions distinguished in DNA Tribes® 22 and 26 Marker Kit
autosomal STR tests, see http://dnatribes.com/populations.html. More information about DNA Tribes® Europa is
available at http://dnatribes.com/dnatribes-europa.html.
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Northern Fertile Crescent populations, such as the cultures that spread Ubaid related (Hassuna-Samarra)
pottery and clay figurines throughout Anatolia, the Levant, and Southeastern Europe during the
Neolithic period (discussed in the Historical Background section of this article). In addition, this might
also reflect later migrations, such as the archaic period migrations from West Asia that stimulated the
Orientalizing Revolution in Greece and Italy. In addition, Mesopotamian components might also in part
reflect Caucasus Mountains related ancestry transmitted to Europe by Kurgan expansions.
Figure 3: Non-local genetic components in sub-regions of Southeastern Europe. The Iberian and
Mesopotamian components (possibly related to Neolithic Farming populations) are highlighted.
Slavic-Baltic components are expressed for the Thracian (40.1%) and Greek (21.6%) subregions, but are not generally expressed for most Italian populations. 24 This might reflect Kurgan
expansions from Northeast Europe discussed in this article, as well as the Migration Period and early
medieval population movements associated with the appearance of early Slavic speaking peoples in the
classical world. 25
Northwest European percentages are expressed primarily for the Italian (44.7%) and Greek
(13.5%) sub-regions but only to a small extent in the Thracian sub-region (1.1%). This might reflect
early Italo-Celtic expansions in the Mediterranean, possibly related to population contacts between the
Italian Peninsula and Central European cultures (such as the Urnfield and Hallstatt cultures). However,
the genetic similarity between Italian and Northwest European populations might also in part reflect
northward expansions (to the Alps, Gaul, etc.) from early population centers in Italy. 26
24
However, data from Veneto, Italy express local Slavic-Baltic components not found elsewhere in Italy (possibly
related to early “Amber Road” contacts and other trade links between the Adriatic Veneti and Vistula Veneti).
25
Evidence for high levels of shared ancestry throughout Eastern Europe dating to the Migration Period has
recently identified based on shared chromosomal segments (possibly related to Hunnic expansions in late
antiquity and later Slavic re-population). See http://arxiv.org/abs/1207.3815.
26
For instance, new linkage based analysis has identified signals of shared ancestry (possibly related to Celtic
speaking cultures) between the UK, Italy, and France during the early 1st millennium BCE (the time the Hallstatt
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Substantial Levantine percentages are expressed for Italian (19.3%) and Greek (18.5%)
populations. These links might in part reflect West Asian expansions to archaic Greece and Etruscan
Italy in the Iron Age (during the time when Assyrian expansions were displacing urban populations of
the East Mediterranean, causing a new influx of ideas and technologies in Europe). However, it is
unknown whether these genetic components might partly reflect the distant cultural relationships (such
as associations between Sparta and the Levant) described in classical Greek and Roman texts.
Conclusion
The distribution of Neolithic Farmer (Aegean) and Kurgan Pastoralist (Slavic-Baltic) related
genetic components in Europe express a gradual genetic transition between Southeastern and
Northeastern Europe. Notably, Mediterranean and Northwest European populations express substantial
levels of both components. This is consistent with the archaeological record, which attests mixing and
dynamic interplay between settled agrarian and pastoralist societies in European prehistory.
A further analysis identified two non-local genetic components found in all sub-regions of
Southeastern Europe: Iberian and Mesopotamian. One or both of these components might in part reflect
the genetic traces of ancestral Neolithic Farmer populations that expanded in the Aegean and Balkan
Peninsula prior to the waves of Northeast European related pastoralist expansions described in the
Kurgan model of Marija Gimbutas.
As new ancient DNA continue to become available, it might become possible to confirm these
hypotheses and further understand the complex interplay of multiple populations that has shaped the
genetic landscape of Europe since early periods.
C expansions), then another signal of sharing between the UK, Ireland, and France in the late 1st millennium BCE
(contemporary with the La Tène culture). See http://arxiv.org/abs/1207.3815. For more discussion of
Mediterranean related components in Northwest Europe (including historically Celtic speaking populations of the
British Isles), see http://dnatribes.com/dnatribes-digest-2012-08-01.pdf and http://dnatribes.com/dnatribes-digest2010-09-30.pdf.
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DNA Tribes® Announcements for November 2013
Sale for New 22 Marker and 26 Marker Kit STR Tests
DNA Tribes® is pleased to introduce our new 22 Marker Kit and 26 Marker Kit tests using enhanced
STR technologies at great prices. These new STR testing options replace 15, 21, and 27 Marker Kit lab
tests. However, updates incorporating new populations and world region definitions for 15, 21, and 27
Marker Kit results are available.
Each 22 and 26 Marker Kit tests includes your Autosomal STR Profile for industry standard markers
used in DNA fingerprinting around the world, together with DNA Tribes® Native Population Match,
Global Population Match, and World Region Match analysis. Both kits options include the most
detailed and comprehensive comparison of your autosomal DNA to world populations available
anywhere.
New DNA Tribes® 22 Marker Kits (Sale Price $139.99) test the following autosomal STR markers:
Amelogenin, CSF1PO, D13S317, D16S539, D18S51, D21S11, D3S1358, D5S818, D7S820,
D8S1179, FGA, Penta D, Penta E, TH01, TPOX, vWA, D19S433, D2S1338, D10S1248,
D12S391, D1S1656, D22S1045, and D2S441.
New DNA Tribes® 26 Marker Kits (Sale Price $159.99) test the following autosomal STR markers:
Amelogenin, CSF1PO, D13S317, D16S539, D18S51, D21S11, D3S1358, D5S818, D7S820,
D8S1179, FGA, Penta D, Penta E, TH01, TPOX, vWA, D19S433, D2S1338, D10S1248,
D12S391, D1S1656, D22S1045, D2S441, F13A1, F13B, FES/FPS, and LPL. 27
More information and new 22 and 26 Marker Kit test orders are available through our secure online
checkout system at http://www.dnatribes.com/order.html.
Upgrade testing for customers who have previously tested using DNA Tribes® 15 or 21 Marker Kit tests
are available at http://dnatribes.com/order_upgrades.html.
Updates incorporating new populations and world region definitions for previous 15, 21, or 27 Marker
Kit tests (including all previously ordered add-on reports) are available using the $24.99 “Update Your
STR Analysis” option at http://dnatribes.com/order_addons.html.
27
26 Marker Kit test all markers previously included in 27 Marker Kits, with the exception of SE33, at a
substantially lower test cost.
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DNA Tribes patented analysis is available exclusively from
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About DNA Tribes® SNP (genome data required)
Do you have genome data from a SNP test? DNA Tribes® SNP is a detailed "deep
ancestry" analysis that can be performed based on your genotype raw data from any of
several SNP microarray tests. (Genome Data from Previous Testing Required)
DNA Tribes® SNP reports (http://dnatribes.com/snp.html) include:
•
Admixture Percentages
 Continent, Region, Native Population, and Global Population Percentages.
•
Multi-Dimensional Scaling (MDS) Graphs
 Continent, Region, Native population, and Global Population.
•
Total Similarity
 Compare your Genotype to over 280 Populations in our SNP Database.
Population
Percentage
Yoruba Nigeria
26.9%
Bambara West Africa
9.6%
Igbo Nigeria
6.7%
Kaba Chad
5.2%
Fang Cameroon
5.1%
Bantu South Africa
5.0%
Kongo
4.2%
Tunisia
3.8%
Herero Namibia
3.6%
Hausa Nigeria
3.4%
Dogon West Africa
3.2%
England
2.5%
France
2.5%
Pima Mexico
2.4%
Mandenka Senegal
2.4%
More information (including sample reports) and orders are available at:
http://dnatribes.com/snp.html.
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