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Although the North Caucasus played a crucial role in the ancient colonisation of Eurasia and the shaping of its cultural and genetic heritage, the genetic history of its indigenous cultures has not yet been fully explored. Scientists have, for the first time, conducted deep sequencing of ancient DNA from members of the Koban culture that emerged in the late Bronze Age in the North Caucasus and compared this genetic data with that of modern populations of the Caucasus. Their findings confirm the role of Koban culture carriers as an ancient genetic bridge between the Bronze and Iron Ages in the North Caucasus. The study has been published in the European Journal of Human Genetics.
The area between the Black and Caspian Seas is recognised as an important bridge for migration of ancient populations to both Europe and Asia, dating back to the Upper Palaeolithic period. Furthermore, the region's distinctive climatic and geographical conditions made it a unique place for the emergence and evolution of ancient archaeological cultures, which have left behind monuments that are temporally and spatially confined and interconnected by similarities in settlement types, dwellings, funeral customs, ceramics, certain forms of tools, weaponry, and jewellery.
Until recently, no genomic data from carriers of the Koban culture had been published, despite archaeologists regarding it as a bridge between Bronze Age cultures and contemporary ethnic groups in the North Caucasus.
The Koban culture derives its name from the village of Verkhny Koban in modern-day North Ossetia. It was in this location that the first bronze artifacts associated with this culture were unearthed in the mid-19th century. Archaeological discoveries linked to the Koban culture have been made on both sides of the Greater Caucasus Range, spanning across the territories of present-day republics of Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, North Ossetia–Alania, the Chechen Republic, Stavropol Krai, South Ossetia, and Georgia.
In their era, members of the Koban culture actively engaged in interactions with the peoples and countries of Transcaucasia and the Middle East, and also had contacts with the Cimmerians and, subsequently, with the Scythians. It is believed that carriers of the Koban culture played a significant role in shaping the gene pool of modern ethnic groups in the North Caucasus. Nevertheless, the origin of the culture remains elusive, despite archaeological research efforts beginning from the second half of the 19th century.
Traditionally, it was thought that the Koban culture originated from the Middle Bronze Age culture in the North Caucasus; however, radiocarbon analysis revealed a difference of a thousand years between them. A link between the Koban culture and the North Caucasus was assumed based on findings in post-catacomb burials, but a 500-year hiatus has eventually been discovered between them.
According to another theory, the Koban culture originated in South Ossetia and subsequently spread to both sides of the Greater Caucasus Range. This hypothesis is supported by numerous burials, but few believe in the existence of a direct connection between the cultural centres of South Ossetia and the North Caucasus during that era. It is hypothesised that the Koban culture had multiple sources of origin, including various cultures in Transcaucasia and neighbouring territories.
To date, only a few studies have been published regarding the origins of the Koban culture. These studies identified a variety of genetic lineages among the analysed samples, including numerous mitochondrial and two Y-chromosomal haplogroups that link them with both ancient and modern peoples of Eurasia and the Caucasus.
A group of Russian researchers, including Natalia Slobodova at HSE University, analysed the DNA of ancient individuals belonging to the Koban culture and compared it with the genetic material of both ancient and modern peoples of the Caucasus. The study examined the genomes of individuals belonging to the Koban culture, whose remains were discovered at the archaeological sites of Zayukovo-3 and Klin-Yar-3, alongside the genomes of representatives from the early Alan culture. Using modern genetic analysis methods, the scientists identified mitochondrial and Y - chromosomal haplogroups to uncover genetic connections between ancient populations and present-day inhabitants of the Caucasus.
The DNA analysis of five individuals, bearers of the Koban culture, revealed their close genetic affinity with individuals from the earlier Caucasian Bronze Age cultures, such as the Kura-Araxes and Maikop cultures, and with those from the Iron Age, such as the Alan culture. These findings confirm the role of Koban culture carriers as an ancient genetic bridge between the Bronze and Iron Ages in the North Caucasus.
The study also highlighted the genetic connection between carriers of the Koban and Alan cultures and present-day populations of the North Caucasus. Their genetic makeup is dominated by markers typical of the local population of the Caucasian Bronze Age, with discernible contributions from steppe nomads such as the Scythians and Sarmatians.
This aligns with archaeological evidence of population movements and cultural interactions in this region during ancient times. The conducted research confirms that the modern peoples of the North Caucasus have a direct genetic connection with ancient cultures whose bearers inhabited these territories centuries ago.
Our analysis of genetic admixture in carriers of the Koban and Alan cultures indicates that steppe nomads, such as the Scythians, likely exerted influence on the population of the Caucasus not only culturally, but also genetically. Moreover, an individual from Klin-Yar-3, whose grave had several characteristics uncommon for the Koban culture, appears to have had a close cultural and genetic affinity with the Scythians from the Black Sea region.
A comparative genomic analysis of individuals from the Koban culture and modern human populations has revealed that the former have left their genetic legacy in present-day Kumyk and Lezgin populations, and likely shared genetic ancestry with the isolated ethnic group of the Hamshen Armenians. Ancient DNA analysis shows that an ancient individual from Klin-Yar-3, who was previously described as male, was in fact a female.
IQ
Natalia Slobodova
Co-author of the study, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology of HSE University