Europe was settled by people from the Caucasus – BBC

Where did the ancestors of modern Europeans, when they began to eat dairy products and how this is related to the spread of Indo-European languages, Russian scientists have found with their foreign counterparts.

The Bronze Age in Eurasia, which lasted roughly from 3000′s to 1000 years BC, was a period major cultural change. However, experts are still arguing about whether these changes are the result of the circulation of ideas, or the result of human migration, including potentially contributing to the spread of languages ​​and specific phenotypic traits. Russian scientists as part of an international team studied this question, applying advanced methods of investigation of genomes of representatives of ancient cultures throughout Europe. The results of their survey published in one of the most prestigious scientific journals in the world Nature.

«My colleagues and I have done a tremendous job in which each has a role: I personally engaged in the analysis of materials from Kapova cave – the only cave on the territory of Russia and the cave paintings of the Stone Age. Our research – is the first sign, the results will continue to grow and expand, – said Russian historian, archeologist, Ph.D., associate professor of the History Faculty of Moscow State University Vladislav Zhitenev. – For the first time we have worked with such a broad sample paleoanthropological material. We were able to trace the dispersal of certain nations, the spread of Indo-European language family. Given that the archeologists worked with paleogenetics, the study opens up new horizons of history. The work was for a long time – I personally connected to it in April this year. With foreign colleagues we met, but mostly the work was by correspondence. ”

During the research, scientists have concluded that the Bronze Age is a dynamic period of large-scale migration of the population, which formed as a result of the main components of the current demographic structure in Europe and Asia.

From a genetic point of view of the ancient Europeans post-migration period is much closer to modern Europeans, than the people who lived before the Bronze Age.

«Rewriting genetic map” began about 5 thousand. years ago, from the steppes of the Caucasus, representatives of the pit culture migrated to North and Central Europe as well as in Western Siberia. In Northern Europe yamna culture mixed with the Corded Ware culture, also known as a culture white axes. Genetically, it is similar to the culture of modern Europeans living north of the Alps. Later, about 4 thousand. Years ago sintashitskaya culture, common in northern steppe zone of South Ural and Southern Urals, it has evolved in the Caucasus. New weapons and chariots that culture quickly spread across Europe.

The area east of the Urals and far into Central Asia was colonized by approximately 3.8 thousand. Years ago Andronov culture, living in Kazakhstan, Western Siberia, the western part of Central Asia and the Southern Urals. According to the study, representatives of this culture were the carriers of the European DNA.

At the end of the Bronze Age and early Iron Age peoples of Asia arrived in Central Asia. Where scientists observe rather “gene replacement” rather than genetic impurities – European genes in this region disappear.

Also, before popular opinion it was that lactose tolerance first appeared in the Balkans or the Middle East in connection with the development of agriculture in the Stone Age. New results from the analysis of the DNA showed that contrary to expectations, the researchers lactose tolerance among Europeans began to emerge much earlier. Researchers believe that lactose tolerance could appear in Europe with yamnymi shepherds of the Caucasus, but the selection that made the majority of Europeans resistant to lactose, occurred much later.

Finally, the migration of the early period of the Bronze Age are possible scenario spread Indo-European languages, in accordance with some restored archaeological and historical linguistic data. Previously, “Herald» told , that could bring Yamnik in Europe and part of the Indo-European languages, including Slavic languages, German and Romance languages, as well as its technology, such as the wheel. The spread of the language occurred about 6 thousand. Years ago and coincided with the domestication of horses and the invention of the wheel, allowing people to travel long distances. The conducted surveys give additional confirmation of this theory.