Wu Xiyan, Ding Baoxu, Nie Linyi, Zhong Canshuo, Liu Pengxiang, Liang Jingteng, Wang Lin, Gao Xiangping, Wei Jiyin, Zhou Yawei
School of History and Culture, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, China.
The Biological Archaeology Laboratory, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, China.
Front Microbiol. 2024 Sep 13;15:1471740. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1471740. eCollection 2024.
In the Central Plains of China during the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BCE), the social hierarchy gradually solidified, accompanied by frequent wars and the phenomena of multicultural and multi-ethnic integration. These social phenomena collectively influenced the population's genetic structure at that time. However, our understanding of the genetic history of this period remains largely unknown owing to limited ancient DNA studies. In this study, we successfully obtained 11 ancient genomes from the Guanzhuang site during the Zhou Dynasty on the central plain of China. Our findings revealed remarkable genetic continuity with the Neolithic populations of the Yellow River Basin and emphasized genetic diversity through the analysis of uniparental genetic markers. Population structure analysis further confirmed the genetic similarity between the Guanzhuang population and ancient populations of the Yellow River Basin and indicated genetic exchanges with ancient populations from surrounding regions. Intriguingly, signs of inbreeding within the Guanzhuang community cast doubt on the stringent enforcement of the contemporary marital regulations against consanguineous marriages within the same surname or clan. These revelations significantly enhance our insight into the complex interplay of ancient demography and societal organization, concurrently presenting a genetic perspective to view the complex evolution of Chinese civilization's multiethnic.
在周朝（公元前1046年 - 256年）的中国中原地区，社会等级制度逐渐固化，同时伴随着频繁的战争以及多元文化和多民族融合的现象。这些社会现象共同影响了当时人口的基因结构。然而，由于古代DNA研究有限，我们对这一时期的遗传历史仍知之甚少。在本研究中，我们成功从中国中原地区周朝的官庄遗址获取了11个古代基因组。我们的研究结果揭示了与黄河流域新石器时代人群显著的基因连续性，并通过对单亲遗传标记的分析强调了基因多样性。群体结构分析进一步证实了官庄人群与黄河流域古代人群之间的基因相似性，并表明与周边地区古代人群存在基因交流。有趣的是，官庄社区内近亲繁殖的迹象对当时关于同姓或同宗内禁止近亲结婚的婚姻规定的严格执行提出了质疑。这些发现显著增强了我们对古代人口统计学与社会组织复杂相互作用的认识，同时从基因角度展现了中华文明多民族复杂演变的情况。
