Laz Autosomal DNA

I’d like to begin my series of articles on autosomal DNA with the Laz people. This article will be based on the MDLP K16 calculator. I will publish the statistics I made based on 16 Laz samples and then share the details of the mentioned components.

Amerindian - a component, which is modal (i.e has a peak) in various native American groups of North and South America, as well as in ancient DNA of Native Americans (Clovis, Kennewick man, etc).

Ancestor - an archaic component, detected in modern African Pygmy populations (such as Mbuties and Biaka) and Khoisan hunter-gatherers.

Steppe - a component which was sourced from ancient genome of European Bronze Age pastoralists: it roughly approximates levels of ancient North Eurasian hunter-gatherers' heritage, which was subsequently shown to have an influence in later eastern hunter-gatherers and to have spread into Europe via an incursion of Steppe herders beginning ∼4,500 years ago.

Indian - a component of ancestry harboured by populations of Indian subcontinent

Arctic - a component displayed in genomes of Eskimo Inuits from Greenland and shared with Siberian Chukchis/Koryaks.

Australian - a component of aboriginal ancestry assigned to Australian aborigens.

Caucasian - a major component of ancestry of modern inhabitants of Caucasus, Iran and northern Indian       : it was derived from genomes of mesolithic Caucasian Hunter-gatherers: a major ancestral component linked to CHG was carried west and east by migrating herders from the Eurasian Steppe.

EastAfrican - a very dilluted component being inherited specififically from ancient inhabitants of Ethiopia and African Horn

NorthEastEuropean - a fancy moniker for a dominant type of ancestry in North-Eastern Europe based on older type of ancestry (WHG, west European Hunter-Gatherer), today this type of ancestry peaks in the Baltic region and Scandinavia

NearEast - a component harboured and later carried by ancient populations of Near East, in our time it reaches the maximum among Bedoins and Saudi Arabians; the component seems to carry an excess of Eurasian Basal component relative to Neolithic component.

Neolithic - a component, modeled on genomes of first neolithic farmers of Anatolia (West Asia), these farmers from West Asia migrated to Europe during the Neolithic and carried this component with them.

NorthAfrican - a local component of ancestry found in North Africans: this local North African genetic component is very different from the one found in the populations in the south of the Sahara (Subsaharian component, see below).

Oceanic - a component of aboriginal ancestry assigned to aborigens of Melanesia and Papua-New-Guinea.

Siberian - a component, which is rougly ascribed to Central Siberian (found at highest frequency in Nganasan)

SouthEastAsian - a dominant component of South East Asians: being highest among the Dai, Cambodians, Lahu and Malay, this is the most common East Asian component among South Asians.

Subsaharian - a main component of ancestry seen in Yoruba, Mandenka and Luhya populations.

Y-DNA differences and similarities between the peoples of the eastern Black Sea region

In this article I will assess the differences and similarities between the peoples of the eastern Black Sea region in terms of Y-DNA. Let’s begin by remembering the results of the 3 peoples I have published up until now;

Let me begin with the most dominant branches. Because only the basic haplogroups are shown on the tables, the differences in sub-branches are not clear from them.

The most dominant branch of the Greek/Turkish people of Trabzon is the M406 sub-branch of G2a.

On the other hand, the most dominant G2a branch among the Laz people is the L293 branch.

The M92 branch of J2a, which is the most dominant haplogroup among the Laz, comes to the fore among them.

As for the Hemshin people, while there is a situation of homogeneity, L1b and J2a seem to be dominant among them, and let’s not forget that their J2a is divided into various branches whereas the eastern Black Sea branch of L1b is specific among them.

The principle similarity between these 3 peoples is the PH8, i.e., eastern Black Sea branch of L1b. Despite the fact that it is unknown when this branch reached the region, it is thought that it came from around Iran at least 3000 years ago. It is found frequently among the peoples of the eastern Black Sea region.

Also some similarity is also found among the various branches of J2a, the M67 branches that are frequent in Trabzon is also seen found among the other peoples of the region, however less frequently.

Hemshin Y-DNA Haplogroups

In this part I am going to investigate the Y-DNA of another people of the eastern Black Sea region, that of the Hemshin people. In the study I used 49 Hemshin samples, so have a look at the results;

R1b: Let’s begin haplogroup R, vast majority belong to the Z2103 branch.

J2a: Most of them belong to the M67 sub-branch.

L1b: The ones among the Hemshin belong to PH8, i.e., the eastern Black Sea branch of L.

G1a: For those who have been following this blog, G1a is a haplogroup which we have not investigated before, it is found abundantly among the Hemshin, in contrast to other peoples from the Black Sea region. Among the people who possess this haplogroup, those who live to the east of the Caspian Sea and those who live to the west of it differ from each other in their sub-branches.

I2: Most of them are I2a.

G2a: All of them belong to the M406 branch.