The genetic origin of the Indo-Europeans

Iosif Lazaridis (), Nick Patterson (), David Anthony (), Leonid Vyazov (), Romain Fournier, Harald Ringbauer, Iñigo Olalde, Alexander A. Khokhlov, Egor P. Kitov, Natalia I. Shishlina, Sorin C. Ailincăi, Danila S. Agapov, Sergey A. Agapov, Elena Batieva, Baitanayev Bauyrzhan, Zsolt Bereczki, Alexandra Buzhilova, Piya Changmai, Andrey A. Chizhevsky, Ion Ciobanu, Mihai Constantinescu, Marietta Csányi, János Dani, Peter K. Dashkovskiy, Sándor Évinger, Anatoly Faifert, Pavel Flegontov, Alin Frînculeasa, Mădălina N. Frînculeasa, Tamás Hajdu, Tom Higham, Paweł Jarosz, Pavol Jelínek, Valeri I. Khartanovich, Eduard N. Kirginekov, Viktória Kiss, Alexandera Kitova, Alexeiy V. Kiyashko, Jovan Koledin, Arkady Korolev, Pavel Kosintsev, Gabriella Kulcsár, Pavel Kuznetsov, Rabadan Magomedov, Aslan M. Mamedov, Eszter Melis, Vyacheslav Moiseyev, Erika Molnár, Janet Monge, Octav Negrea, Nadezhda A. Nikolaeva, Mario Novak, Maria Ochir-Goryaeva, György Pálfi, Sergiu Popovici, Marina P. Rykun, Tatyana M. Savenkova, Vladimir P. Semibratov, Nikolai N. Seregin, Alena Šefčáková, Raikhan S. Mussayeva, Irina Shingiray, Vladimir N. Shirokov, Angela Simalcsik, Kendra Sirak, Konstantin N. Solodovnikov, Judit Tárnoki, Alexey A. Tishkin, Viktor Trifonov, Sergey Vasilyev, Ali Akbari, Esther S. Brielle, Kim Callan, Francesca Candilio, Olivia Cheronet, Elizabeth Curtis, Olga Flegontova, Lora Iliev, Aisling Kearns, Denise Keating, Ann Marie Lawson, Matthew Mah, Adam Micco, Megan Michel, Jonas Oppenheimer, Lijun Qiu, J. Noah Workman, Fatma Zalzala, Anna Szécsényi-Nagy, Pier Francesco Palamara, Swapan Mallick, Nadin Rohland, Ron Pinhasi () and David Reich ()
Additional contact information
Iosif Lazaridis: Harvard University
Nick Patterson: Harvard University
David Anthony: Harvard University
Leonid Vyazov: Harvard University
Romain Fournier: University of Oxford
Harald Ringbauer: Harvard University
Iñigo Olalde: Harvard University
Alexander A. Khokhlov: Samara State University of Social Sciences and Education
Egor P. Kitov: Russian Academy of Science
Natalia I. Shishlina: State History Museum
Sorin C. Ailincăi: ”Gavrilă Simion” Eco-Museum Research Institute
Danila S. Agapov: Samara Regional Public Organization
Sergey A. Agapov: Samara Regional Public Organization
Elena Batieva: Archaeology and Palaeontology Museum-Reserve
Baitanayev Bauyrzhan: Institute of Archaeology named after A.Kh Margulan
Zsolt Bereczki: University of Szeged
Alexandra Buzhilova: Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology
Piya Changmai: University of Ostrava
Andrey A. Chizhevsky: Institute of Archeology named after A. Kh. Khalikov Tatarstan Academy of Sciences
Ion Ciobanu: Institute of Bioarchaeological and Ethnocultural Research
Mihai Constantinescu: University of Bucharest
Marietta Csányi: Damjanich János Museum
János Dani: University of Szeged
Peter K. Dashkovskiy: Altai State University
Sándor Évinger: Hungarian Natural History Museum-Hungarian National Museum Public Collection Centre
Anatoly Faifert: Research Institute GAUK RO “Don Heritage”
Pavel Flegontov: Harvard University
Alin Frînculeasa: Prahova County Museum of History and Archaeology
Mădălina N. Frînculeasa: University Valahia of Târgoviște
Tamás Hajdu: Eötvös Loránd University
Tom Higham: University of Vienna
Paweł Jarosz: Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Science
Pavol Jelínek: Slovak National Museum-Archaeological Museum
Valeri I. Khartanovich: Department of Physical Anthropology
Eduard N. Kirginekov: State Autonomous Cultural Institution of the Republic of Khakassia “Khakassian National Museum of Local Lore named after L.R. Kyzlasova”
Viktória Kiss: HUN-REN Research Centre for the Humanities
Alexandera Kitova: Russian Academy of Sciences
Alexeiy V. Kiyashko: Southern Federal University
Jovan Koledin: Museum of Vojvodina
Arkady Korolev: Samara State University of Social Sciences and Education
Pavel Kosintsev: Ural Federal University
Gabriella Kulcsár: HUN-REN Research Centre for the Humanities
Pavel Kuznetsov: Samara State University of Social Sciences and Education
Rabadan Magomedov: Dagestan Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, Makhachkala
Aslan M. Mamedov: Institute of Archaeology named after A.Kh Margulan
Eszter Melis: HUN-REN Research Centre for the Humanities
Vyacheslav Moiseyev: Department of Physical Anthropology
Erika Molnár: University of Szeged
Janet Monge: Independent researcher
Octav Negrea: Prahova County Museum of History and Archaeology
Nadezhda A. Nikolaeva: Ministry of Education Moscow
Mario Novak: Institute for Anthropological Research
Maria Ochir-Goryaeva: Kalmyk Scientific Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences
György Pálfi: University of Szeged
Sergiu Popovici: National Agency for Archaeology
Marina P. Rykun: National Research Tomsk State University
Tatyana M. Savenkova: V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University
Vladimir P. Semibratov: Altai State University
Nikolai N. Seregin: Altai State University
Alena Šefčáková: Slovak National Museum-Natural History Museum
Raikhan S. Mussayeva: Institute of Archaeology named after A.Kh Margulan
Irina Shingiray: University of Oxford
Vladimir N. Shirokov: Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Angela Simalcsik: Institute of Bioarchaeological and Ethnocultural Research
Kendra Sirak: Harvard University
Konstantin N. Solodovnikov: Institute of Problems of Northern Development
Judit Tárnoki: Damjanich János Museum
Alexey A. Tishkin: Altai State University
Viktor Trifonov: Russian Academy of Sciences
Sergey Vasilyev: Russian Academy of Sciences
Ali Akbari: Harvard University
Esther S. Brielle: Harvard University
Kim Callan: Harvard Medical School
Francesca Candilio: Museo delle Civiltà, Italian Ministry of Culture
Olivia Cheronet: University of Vienna
Elizabeth Curtis: Harvard Medical School
Olga Flegontova: University of Ostrava
Lora Iliev: Harvard Medical School
Aisling Kearns: Harvard Medical School
Denise Keating: University College Dublin
Ann Marie Lawson: Harvard Medical School
Matthew Mah: Harvard Medical School
Adam Micco: Harvard Medical School
Megan Michel: Harvard University
Jonas Oppenheimer: Harvard Medical School
Lijun Qiu: Harvard Medical School
J. Noah Workman: Harvard Medical School
Fatma Zalzala: Harvard Medical School
Anna Szécsényi-Nagy: HUN-REN Research Centre for the Humanities
Pier Francesco Palamara: University of Oxford
Swapan Mallick: Harvard Medical School
Nadin Rohland: Harvard Medical School
Ron Pinhasi: University of Vienna
David Reich: Harvard University

Nature, 2025, vol. 639, issue 8053, 132-142

Abstract: Abstract The Yamnaya archaeological complex appeared around 3300 bc across the steppes north of the Black and Caspian Seas, and by 3000 bc it reached its maximal extent, ranging from Hungary in the west to Kazakhstan in the east. To localize Yamnaya origins among the preceding Eneolithic people, we assembled ancient DNA from 435 individuals, demonstrating three genetic clines. A Caucasus–lower Volga (CLV) cline suffused with Caucasus hunter-gatherer1 ancestry extended between a Caucasus Neolithic southern end and a northern end at Berezhnovka along the lower Volga river. Bidirectional gene flow created intermediate populations, such as the north Caucasus Maikop people, and those at Remontnoye on the steppe. The Volga cline was formed as CLV people mixed with upriver populations of Eastern hunter-gatherer2 ancestry, creating hypervariable groups, including one at Khvalynsk. The Dnipro cline was formed when CLV people moved west, mixing with people with Ukraine Neolithic hunter-gatherer ancestry3 along the Dnipro and Don rivers to establish Serednii Stih groups, from whom Yamnaya ancestors formed around 4000 bc and grew rapidly after 3750–3350 bc. The CLV people contributed around four-fifths of the ancestry of the Yamnaya and, entering Anatolia, probably from the east, at least one-tenth of the ancestry of Bronze Age central Anatolians, who spoke Hittite4,5. We therefore propose that the final unity of the speakers of ‘proto-Indo-Anatolian’, the language ancestral to both Anatolian and Indo-European people, occurred in CLV people some time between 4400 bc and 4000 bc.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08531-5

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