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Neolithic patrilineal signals indicate that the Armenian plateau was repopulated by agriculturalists - PubMed

Neolithic patrilineal signals indicate that the Armenian plateau was repopulated by agriculturalists

Kristian J Herrera et al. Eur J Hum Genet. 2012 Mar.

Abstract

Armenia, situated between the Black and Caspian Seas, lies at the junction of Turkey, Iran, Georgia, Azerbaijan and former Mesopotamia. This geographic position made it a potential contact zone between Eastern and Western civilizations. In this investigation, we assess Y-chromosomal diversity in four geographically distinct populations that represent the extent of historical Armenia. We find a striking prominence of haplogroups previously implicated with the Agricultural Revolution in the Near East, including the J2a-M410-, R1b1b1(*)-L23-, G2a-P15- and J1-M267-derived lineages. Given that the Last Glacial Maximum event in the Armenian plateau occured a few millennia before the Neolithic era, we envision a scenario in which its repopulation was achieved mainly by the arrival of farmers from the Fertile Crescent temporally coincident with the initial inception of farming in Greece. However, we detect very restricted genetic affinities with Europe that suggest any later cultural diffusions from Armenia to Europe were not associated with substantial amounts of paternal gene flow, despite the presence of closely related Indo-European languages in both Armenia and Southeast Europe.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1

Geographic locations of the Armenian populations examined. The dashed line indicates the boundary of the greatest extent of historical Armenia.

Figure 2
Figure 2

Y-haplogroup phylogeography within Ararat Valley, Gardman, Lake Van and Sasun. The following markers were typed, but were found to be non-polymorphic: M84, M290, M286, P18, P37, M62, M365, M390, P56, M367, M369, M322, M68, M138, M158, M289, M318, M339, M340, M419, P81, M76, M357, M175, M458, M412, M320 and P77.

Figure 3
Figure 3

MDS analyses based on Rst distances calculated from STR allelic frequencies from eight loci of individuals within haplogroups (a) R1b (Stress=0.14116) and (b) J2 (Stress=0.20418). Stress values <0.23 were considered acceptable as determined by Sturrock and Rocha.

Figure 4
Figure 4

Spatial gradient maps illustrating clines in frequency and mean STR allelic variance (eight loci) within haplogroups R1b and J2.

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