Genetic Ties of the 12th–13th Century Population of the Upper Kuban Region (Based on Materials from the Krasnogorsk XII Necropolis)

Abstract The article presents the results of a paleogenetic study of the remains from the burial ground Krasnogorsk XII, dated to the end of the 12th to the first half of the 13th century (Karachay-Cherkess Republic). On the basis of the analysis of STR loci of the Y chromosome and mtDNA, a heterogeneous genetic composition of the studied group was established, despite the uniformity of the Christian burial rite. The predominance of individuals with Y-STR profiles presumably related to haplogroups G2a1 (57%), R1a (29%), and R1b (14%) was revealed, as well as the presence of mtDNA haplogroup H1a3 in one female individual. The key result is the establishment, according to Y-STR analysis, of a close genetic connection between the patrilineals of the population of Alania in the pre-Mongol period and modern populations of the North Caucasus (Karachays, Balkars, eastern Adyghes), which indicates the preservation of individual patrilineals in the region.