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Analysis of the Mitochondrial DNA from the
Scytho-Siberian population (Altai mountains, Iron Age)
F-X Ricaut 1, E Crubézy 2.
1 Center for Archaeological Sciences,
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200E B-3001 Leuven, Belgium; 2
UMR 8 555 du CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier, 39 allées Jules Guesde, 31000
Toulouse, France.
fx.ricaut@infonie.fr
Since the first Pazyryk excavations in
1929, the frozen tombs of the Altai mountains (South Siberia) have attracted
much attention due to their exceptional preservation and the information they
provide on the ancient populations of Central Asia. One of the most famous of
these populations was the Scythians (700 BC– AD 200) who lived in the Eurasian
steppe zone and constituted of a nomadic civilization of oral culture. Their
history, only known from ancient texts (Achaemenid, Greek, and Chinese sources)
and by the excavation of their burial places, still remains relatively obscure.
Nevertheless, during the last decade, several excavations of the Scythian frozen
burial sites in the Altai mountains and the subsequent biological analysis of
the excavated human remains, have allowed new hypotheses to explain the history
of the Scythians, to be proposed. To address questions concerning the origin
and evolution of the Scythian population, we collated all the mitochondrial DNA
(mtDNA) hypervariable region 1 (HV1) sequences from previous ancient DNA
analyses from the human remains identified as belonging to Scythian population,
and inhumed in the Altai mountains between the 5th - 7th centuries BC. We
compared the Scythians mtDNA haplotypes and haplogroups to those of 34 Eurasian
populations. The results of the phylogeographic analyses showed a heterogeneous
origin of the Scythian maternal lineages (originating from China, Europe or
Bering strait region). This result suggests that Central Asia and especially
Altai mountains was already a cross road, during the 1st millennium BC, not
only for trading but also for “genes” between eastern and western Eurasian
populations. Furthermore, the results also indicated a continuity of the mtDNA
gene pool between the Scythians from the Altai mountains and the current
population. In spite of numerous population movements in southern Siberia and
Central Asia during the last 2,500 years, it seems that the Altai mountains
could be regarded as a refuge area during this period. Key words: ancient DNA,
HV1 region, Scythians, Altai mountains, central Asia.
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