The Results of Paleogenetic Analysis of an Afanasievo Culture Individual from the Katanda-3 Burial Ground

This article provides the results of a paleogenetic analysis of the Afanasievo culture individual remains from the Katanda-3 burial ground. This mound is the first burial complex of the Afanasievo culture studied in the Ust-Koksinsky District of the Altai Republic. The male gender of the individual was confirmed. Mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome analysis were performed. The identified mitochondrial DNA lineage belongs to the West Eurasian haplogroup T1 and it was widespread in Western and Central Eurasia during the Bronze Age. It was also identified in the gene pool of the Afanasievo population from the Altai Mountains at previously studied sites. The allelic profile of 16 YSTR loci allows us to unambiguously determine that the Y-chromosome of the studied individual belongs to haplogroup R-M269 (R1b-M269) forming the basis of the male gene pool of the Afanasievo culture population. The studied Y-chromosome sample demonstrates a close relationship with the R-M269 variants of the Afanasievo individuals from the Ukok Plateau (Bertek-33) and from the Minusinsk Basin sites, which constitutes additional evidence of the low genetic diversity in the male part of the Afanasievo population and their relatively close common origin on the paternal line.

Altai Republic · Genetic diversity · Minusinsk Basin · paleogenetics · Ukok Plateau · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies · Forensic and Genetic Research · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies