The rise and transformation of Bronze Age pastoralists in the Caucasus

Ayshin Ghalichi (), Sabine Reinhold (), Adam B. Rohrlach, Alexey A. Kalmykov, Ainash Childebayeva, He Yu, Franziska Aron, Lena Semerau, Katrin Bastert-Lamprichs, Andrey B. Belinskiy, Natalia Y. Berezina, Yakov B. Berezin, Nasreen Broomandkhoshbacht, Alexandra P. Buzhilova, Vladimir R. Erlikh, Lars Fehren-Schmitz, Irina Gambashidze, Anatoliy R. Kantorovich, Konstantin B. Kolesnichenko, David Lordkipanidze, Rabadan G. Magomedov, Katharina Malek-Custodis, Dirk Mariaschk, Vladimir E. Maslov, Levon Mkrtchyan, Anatoli Nagler, Hassan Fazeli Nashli, Maria Ochir, Yuri Y. Piotrovskiy, Mariam Saribekyan, Aleksandr G. Sheremetev, Thomas Stöllner, Judith Thomalsky, Benik Vardanyan, Cosimo Posth, Johannes Krause, Christina Warinner, Svend Hansen and Wolfgang Haak ()
Additional contact information
Ayshin Ghalichi: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Sabine Reinhold: German Archaeological Institute
Adam B. Rohrlach: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Alexey A. Kalmykov: Independent researcher
Ainash Childebayeva: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
He Yu: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Franziska Aron: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Lena Semerau: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Katrin Bastert-Lamprichs: German Archaeological Institute
Andrey B. Belinskiy: ‘Nasledie’ Cultural Heritage Unit
Natalia Y. Berezina: Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology of Lomonosov Moscow State University
Yakov B. Berezin: Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology of Lomonosov Moscow State University
Nasreen Broomandkhoshbacht: University of California, Santa Cruz
Alexandra P. Buzhilova: Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology of Lomonosov Moscow State University
Vladimir R. Erlikh: State Museum of Oriental Art
Lars Fehren-Schmitz: University of California, Santa Cruz
Irina Gambashidze: Georgian National Museum
Anatoliy R. Kantorovich: Lomonosovsky Moscow State University
Konstantin B. Kolesnichenko: ‘Nasledie’ Cultural Heritage Unit
David Lordkipanidze: Tbilisi State University
Rabadan G. Magomedov: Russian Academy of Sciences
Katharina Malek-Custodis: Brandenburg Authorities for Heritage Management and State Archaeological Museum
Dirk Mariaschk: German Archaeological Institute
Vladimir E. Maslov: Russian Academy of Sciences
Levon Mkrtchyan: National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia
Anatoli Nagler: German Archaeological Institute
Hassan Fazeli Nashli: University of Tehran
Maria Ochir: Kalmyk Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Yuri Y. Piotrovskiy: The State Hermitage Museum
Mariam Saribekyan: National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia
Aleksandr G. Sheremetev: Research Center for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage
Thomas Stöllner: Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Judith Thomalsky: German Archaeological Institute
Benik Vardanyan: National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia
Cosimo Posth: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Johannes Krause: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Christina Warinner: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Svend Hansen: German Archaeological Institute
Wolfgang Haak: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

Nature, 2024, vol. 635, issue 8040, 917-925

Abstract: Abstract The Caucasus and surrounding areas, with their rich metal resources, became a crucible of the Bronze Age1 and the birthplace of the earliest steppe pastoralist societies2. Yet, despite this region having a large influence on the subsequent development of Europe and Asia, questions remain regarding its hunter-gatherer past and its formation of expansionist mobile steppe societies3–5. Here we present new genome-wide data for 131 individuals from 38 archaeological sites spanning 6,000 years. We find a strong genetic differentiation between populations north and south of the Caucasus mountains during the Mesolithic, with Eastern hunter-gatherer ancestry4,6 in the north, and a distinct Caucasus hunter-gatherer ancestry7 with increasing East Anatolian farmer admixture in the south. During the subsequent Eneolithic period, we observe the formation of the characteristic West Eurasian steppe ancestry and heightened interaction between the mountain and steppe regions, facilitated by technological developments of the Maykop cultural complex8. By contrast, the peak of pastoralist activities and territorial expansions during the Early and Middle Bronze Age is characterized by long-term genetic stability. The Late Bronze Age marks another period of gene flow from multiple distinct sources that coincides with a decline of steppe cultures, followed by a transformation and absorption of the steppe ancestry into highland populations.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08113-5

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