Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Shanghai Qi Zhi Institute, Shanghai 200232, China.
Mol Biol Evol. 2021 Oct 27;38(11):4908-4917. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msab216.
Although Uzbekistan and Central Asia are known for the well-studied Bronze Age civilization of the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC), the lesser-known Iron Age was also a dynamic period that resulted in increased interaction and admixture among different cultures from this region. To broaden our understanding of events that impacted the demography and population structure of this region, we generated 27 genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism capture data sets of Late Iron Age individuals around the Historical Kushan time period (∼2100-1500 BP) from three sites in South Uzbekistan. Overall, Bronze Age ancestry persists into the Iron Age in Uzbekistan, with no major replacements of populations with Steppe-related ancestry. However, these individuals suggest diverse ancestries related to Iranian farmers, Anatolian farmers, and Steppe herders, with a small amount of West European Hunter Gatherer, East Asian, and South Asian Hunter Gatherer ancestry as well. Genetic affinity toward the Late Bronze Age Steppe herders and a higher Steppe-related ancestry than that found in BMAC populations suggest an increased mobility and interaction of individuals from the Northern Steppe in a Southward direction. In addition, a decrease of Iranian and an increase of Anatolian farmer-like ancestry in Uzbekistan Iron Age individuals were observed compared with the BMAC populations from Uzbekistan. Thus, despite continuity from the Bronze Age, increased admixture played a major role in the shift from the Bronze to the Iron Age in southern Uzbekistan. This mixed ancestry is also observed in other parts of the Steppe and Central Asia, suggesting more widespread admixture among local populations.
尽管乌兹别克斯坦和中亚以巴克特里亚-马尔吉亚纳考古综合体（BMAC）这一研究充分的青铜时代文明而闻名，但鲜为人知的铁器时代也是一个充满活力的时期，导致该地区不同文化之间的互动和融合增加。为了更广泛地了解影响该地区人口结构和人口结构的事件，我们从乌兹别克斯坦南部的三个地点生成了 27 个基因组范围内的单核苷酸多态性捕获数据集，这些数据集涵盖了历史上库珊时期（约公元前 2100-1500 年）的晚期铁器时代个体。总体而言，青铜时代的祖先在乌兹别克斯坦的铁器时代仍然存在，没有出现以草原为基础的祖先取代人口的主要情况。然而，这些个体表明，与伊朗农民、安纳托利亚农民和草原牧民有关的多种祖先，以及少量的西欧狩猎采集者、东亚和南亚狩猎采集者的祖先。与晚期青铜时代草原牧民的遗传亲和力以及比 BMAC 种群中发现的更高的草原相关祖先表明，来自北方草原的个体在向南方向的流动性和互动性增加。此外，与乌兹别克斯坦 BMAC 种群相比，乌兹别克斯坦铁器时代个体的伊朗和安纳托利亚农民样祖先减少，而类似草原牧民的祖先增加。因此，尽管存在青铜时代的连续性，但混合是南部乌兹别克斯坦从青铜时代向铁器时代转变的主要原因。这种混合的祖先也在草原和中亚的其他地区观察到，表明当地人口之间的混合更为广泛。
