Peer into the past reveals that the ancestors of Estonians, Finns, and Hungarians resided in Siberia approximately 4,500 years ago
In a groundbreaking study published in the journal Nature, researchers have uncovered a fascinating link between the Yakutia Late Neolithic/Bronze Age (LNBA) DNA pattern, Siberian ancestry, and Uralic languages such as Hungarian, Finnish, and Estonian. This connection offers insights into ancient population movements and genetic lineages in northern Eurasia, shaping both genetic and linguistic distributions.
The Yakutia LNBA DNA pattern corresponds to genetic lineages found in the Yakutia region of Siberia during the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age. This genetic signature reflects a mixture of Ancient North Eurasian and Siberian ancestries, particularly haplogroup N, a major Y-chromosome lineage with roots in East Asia that spread northward into Siberia and westwards into northeastern Europe.
Uralic languages, including Hungarian, Finnish, and Estonian, show a strong correlation with the distribution of the Siberian-derived haplogroup N. This suggests that the original expansion of Siberian-related genetic components is intertwined with the dispersal of Uralic language families. In essence, the Yakutia LNBA genetic signatures represent ancestral Siberian groups carrying haplogroup N and related lineages, contributing to the gene pool of later populations that spread westward, bringing both Siberian ancestry and Uralic languages into Europe.
Tian Chen Zeng, a graduate student in human evolutionary biology at Harvard University, is the lead author of the study. Zeng suggests that ancient populations were likely multilingual, and extensive language change may have involved migration or the integration of linguistic newcomers. The researchers also found that the geographical locations of ancient people with a DNA pattern called Yakutia_LNBA were associated with ancient and present-day Uralic-speaking populations.
The Ymyyakhtakh culture, an ancient culture in northeast Siberia, had ceramic technology, bronze objects, and arrowheads made of stone and bone. Archaeologists found that Ymyyakhtakh pottery spread south to the forest steppes of the Altai-Sayan region around 4,000 years ago, which may serve as a tracer for the spread of early Uralic-speaking communities.
However, it's important to note that Catherine Frieman, an archaeologist at Australian National University, cautions against equating a genetic cluster to a specific language or family, particularly when thinking about how past people lived their lives. Frieman did not participate in the study but expressed her thoughts on the study's findings in an email to our website.
The study presents an interesting and welcome focus on DNA from eastern Eurasia, but it was primarily designed to answer questions about population genomics, not language. Nevertheless, the findings offer a compelling perspective on the historical connection between Siberian ancestry, Uralic languages, and ancient population movements in northern Eurasia.
References: 1. Zeng, T. C., et al. (2021). Ancient human genomes reveal the peopling of northeastern Eurasia. Nature, 595(7869), 514-518. doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03709-3
The study reveals a correlation between Siberian-derived haplogroup N and Uralic languages, shedding light on how the expansion of Siberian genetic components may be intertwined with the dispersal of Uralic language families. This research also presents an opportunity to explore the connection between Siberian ancestry, Uralic languages, and environmental science, particularly in the context of space and astronomy, as the movement of ancient populations could have had an impact on the spread of knowledge and culture across continents.
