The highly rated journal Nature published an article titled “Ancient DNA Reveals the Prehistory of the Uralic and Yeniseian Peoples.”
The study was led by Professor David Reich, one of the world’s foremost paleogeneticists. Among the authors are several scientists from Altai State University: Professor Alexey Tishkin, Head of the Department of Archaeology, Ethnography and Museology and Doctor of Historical Sciences; Professor Sergey Grushin, also from the Department of Archaeology, Ethnography and Museology and Doctor of Historical Sciences; Associate Professor Kirill Kiryushin, Candidate of Historical Sciences, from the Department of Recreational Geography, Service, Tourism and Hospitality; Yaroslav Frolov, Director of the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography of Altai and Candidate of Historical Sciences; and Yuri Kiryushin, Doctor of Historical Sciences and Honorary Professor of Altai State University.
Scientists have identified genetic components that trace the spread of the Yeniseian and Uralic language families. Their research also offers a likely explanation for the Seima-Turbino phenomenon, which was the rapid expansion of advanced copper-working technologies and bronze artifacts across a vast area approximately 4,000 years ago, as the PCR.NEWS website reports.
Alexey Tishkin shares the details:
The long-awaited article has been published in an electronic format. It represents the culmination of extensive research conducted by a large international team. The article was submitted to the journal in 2023 and has since undergone revisions, addressing numerous reviewer comments with necessary clarifications and additions. The significance of the chosen topic and the proposed solutions extends beyond archaeology to the ethnocultural history of Northern Eurasia. The study focuses on representative Neolithic archaeological materials, which form the basis for the formation of peoples, some of whom persist today. Nearly all the archaeological sources involved have been previously published, with various interpretations applied to understand the paleogenetic findings. However, this is the first time such comprehensive coverage –from the Pacific coast almost to the Atlantic Ocean – has been achieved. The published article once again highlights the vital role of archaeology in exploring many facets of ancient history: processes of ethnogenesis, adaptation to natural environments, the establishment of life support systems, and even the formation of language groups. These data were gained through an interdisciplinary approach. My involvement in the project was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, as acknowledged in the article. The findings significantly clarify the history of Northern Eurasia’s population, with a significant impact of large-scale east-to-west migrations. The North Baikal region emerged as the starting point for this movement during the Neolithic period. Archaeological phenomena previously documented have been confirmed and enriched by paleogenetic studies and AMS dating. One key conclusion, in my view, is the shared history underlying the formation of many Northern Eurasian peoples, which can be considered a unifying element.