Stamov, S. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2021

Significant (Z|-4|) admixture signal with a source from ancient Wusun observed in contemporary Bulgarians.

We report the presence of significant Central Asian ancestry in both contemporary Bulgarians and in early medieval population from SMC (Saltovo Mayaky Culture). The existence of Chalcolithic-Iran (Hajj-Fruz) and Wusun related ancestral component in contemporary Bulgarians comes as a surprise and sheds light on both migration route and ethnic origins of Proto-Bulgarians. We interpret these results as an evidence for a Central -Asian connection for the tribes, constituting the population of SMC and Kubrats Old Great Bulgaria in Pontic steppe from 6th-7th century AD. We identify Central Asian Wusun tribes as carriers of this component on the base from the results from f3 and f4 statistics. We suggest that Wusun-related tribes must have played role (or might have even been the backbone) in what became known as the Hunnic migration to Europe during 3rd-5th century AD. Same population must have taken part in the formation of the SMC (Saltovo-Mayaki Culture) and Great Old Bulgarian during 6th-9th century AD in Pontic - Caspian steppe. We also explore the genomic origins of Thracians and their relations to contemporary Europeans. We conclude that contemporary Bulgarians do not harbor Thracian-specific ancestry, since ancient Thracian samples share more SNPs with contemporary Greeks and even contemporary Icelanders than with contemporary Bulgarians.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2019

Genetic evidence suggests relationship between contemporary Bulgarian population and Iron Age steppe dwellers from Pontic-Caspian steppe.

Ancient DNA analysis on the ancestry of European populations conducted in the last decade came to the puzzling conclusion that while all contemporary European populations can be best represented as an admixture of 3 ancestral populations -Early European Neolithic farmers (ENF), Western Hunter-Gatherers (WHG) and Ancestral North Eurasians (ANE), contemporary Bulgarians and few other SEE populations can also be represented as an admixture of two groups only - Early European Neolithic farmers and contemporary Caucasian people equally well.\n\nIf modeled as an admixture of two groups only, the ANE component presented in contemporary Bulgarians would have arrived on the Balkans with hypothetical ANE (Ancestral North Eurasians)-rich Caucasian population.\n\nIn this paper, we test the hypothesis that increased Caucasian component in contemporary SE Europeans, has been introduced on the Balkans by migrating Iron Age steppe dwellers from Pontic-Caspian steppe. We analyze available DNA datasets from both ancient and contemporary samples and identify a Caucasian signal, carried to Balkan populations by the nomadic dwellers of Early Medieval Saltovo-Mayaki Culture, located on the northern slope of Caucasus Mountains and adjacent steppe regions. We also identify two additional sources of Caucasian admixture in SEE populations, which are not specific to Bulgarian population only. Based on the results from our population genetic analysis we suggest that contemporary Bulgarians are an admixture of ancestral Slavonic groups, rich on locally absorbed EEF DNA and Proto Bulgarians, rich on Caucasian DNA and genetically related to the bearers of the Saltovo-Mayaki Culture from 8-10 century AD.

genomics↗