Author  |
Vincent Zvenigorosky, Sylvie Duchesne, Patrice Gerard, Anatoly Alexeev, Nikolai Kirianov, Dariya Nikolaeva, Vassili Popov, Christiane Petit, Jean Guilaine, Sergei Kodolesnikov, Michel Petit, Liubomira Romanova, Alexandre Riberon, Annie Geraut, Catherine Cannet, Jean-Luc Fausser, Veronica Pereda, Olga Meniltchuk, Xavier Mata, Catherine Theves, Rozalia Bravina, Ludovic Orlando, Christine Keyser, Bertrand Ludes, Eric Crubezy |
| Abstract |
Archaeological studies sample ancient human populations one site at a time, often limited to a fraction of the regions and periods occupied by a given group. While this bias is known and discussed in the literature, few model populations span areas as large and unforgiving as the Yakuts of Eastern Siberia. We systematically surveyed 31,000 square kilometres in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) and completed the archaeological study of 174 frozen graves, assembled between the 15th and the 19th century. We analysed genetic data (autosomal genotypes, Y-chromosome haplotypes and mitochondrial haplotypes) for all ancient subjects and confronted it to the study of 190 modern subjects from the same area and the same population. Ancient familial links and paternal clan were identified between graves up to 1500 km apart and we provide new data concerning the origins of the contemporary Yakut population and demonstrate that cultural similarities in the past were linked to (i) the expansion of specific paternal clans, (ii) preferential marriage among the elites and (iii) funeral choices that could constitute a bias in any ancient population study. |
