Preliminary Remarks on New Ancient DNA from the Caucasus

Preliminary Remarks on New Ancient DNA from the Caucasus

While we are waiting for the publication of a new ancient DNA paper about the Caucasus, which will reportedly include more than 100 samples, some preliminary remarks can already be made.

All six Y-DNA samples from the site of Guinchi in Dagestan (Shamil region) belong to haplogroup J1. Some of the higher-quality samples fall within the BY100 branch, which is common today among Northeastern Caucasian populations.

These individuals appear to date to the Kura–Araxes cultural period. They show a moderate level of steppe ancestry, which they most likely inherited from the preceding Chalcolithic populations.

This finding further strengthens the theory that Nakh–Dagestanian speakers descend from populations associated with the Kura–Araxes culture, which expanded into the northeastern Caucasus after around 3500 BCE. At this point, the hypothesis is increasingly supported by genetic data.

From a linguistic perspective, the estimated age of Proto–Northeast Caucasian (Proto-NEC) is roughly consistent with this timeframe. The presence of moderate steppe ancestry in these early populations also helps explain why modern Dagestani groups possess steppe ancestry today—they inherited it already during the Early Bronze Age.

However, modern Dagestani populations have approximately twice the level of steppe ancestry compared to the Early Bronze Age individuals. This suggests that additional steppe ancestry was introduced later. A likely candidate is the Catacomb culture, which expanded toward the South Caucasus after about 2500 BCE. Later Iranian and Turkic nomadic incursions into the region probably also contributed to this additional steppe component.

Despite this progress, several questions remain unresolved.

The Nakh branch appears to have less steppe ancestry than other Dagestani groups and is predominantly associated with haplogroup J2. This may indicate that the Nakh region experienced an additional genetic influx from the south, plausibly introducing these J2 lineages.

The origins of the Lezgin branch also remain uncertain. It is still unclear whether they migrated from the north to the south or whether they descend directly from Kura–Araxes populations that remained on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus.

We can now say with considerable confidence that the Udi people, although linguistically related to the Lezgin branch, are genetic outliers within the Northeast Caucasian family. They possess a much higher proportion of Armenian Highlands–related farmer ancestry, which they most likely acquired through gene flow from Armenians, especially given their shared Christian faith and historical proximity.

Finally, despite the strong connection between Northeast Caucasian speakers and the Kura–Araxes horizon, there is no evidence that the entire Kura–Araxes cultural sphere spoke NEC-related languages.