Ancient DNA reveals elite dynastic rule among Iron Age Eurasian Steppe nomads

Source: PubMed Central Open Access, NCBI / U.S. National Library of Medicine

The Eurasian Steppe in the first millennium BCE saw the rise of the Scytho-Siberian archaeological horizon, which would come to stretch from the Altai Mountains in the east to the Black Sea in the west. We examined the genetic profiles of Iron Age Scythians to explore how social status shaped biological relatedness and ancestry patterns. We present genome-wide data from 85 individuals (38 elite and 47 non-elite), including 45 newly sequenced individuals and the first genome-wide data for the Scythian “Golden Man.” We identify consanguineous unions, a reduced effective population size, and identity-by-descent links among the elites. Dynastic rule is supported by elite grandparent-grandchild relationships across cemeteries. While ancestries are heterogeneous, elite Iron Age Scythians show lower variation and no detectable patrilocal or matrilocal signal. These findings highlight hereditary status transmission and the emergence of social stratification in ancient nomadic societies. Elite Scythians formed exclusive kin networks across cemeteries, revealing hereditary rule among Iron Age Central Eurasian nomads. teaser