Ancient DNA of a nomadic population provides evidence of the genetic structure of the royal ancient Mongols

Summary

The genetic diversity of the ancient Mongols, especially the Gold family of Genghis Khan remains unclear. Gangga site was a nomadic site dated to the 8th to 10th centuries AD in the HulunBuir grassland, northeast China. This site belonged to the Shiwei population, believed to be the direct ancestors of the ancient Mongols. Nine graves at the Gangga site were excavated with log coffins, which were considered the characteristic burial custom of the royal ancient Mongols, included the Gold family of Genghis Khan. This suggests the Gangga people had a close relationship with the royal ancient Mongols. In this study, mitochondrial and Y-chromosome aDNA were extracted to analyze the genetic structure of the Shiwei population at the Gangga site. Haplogroups D, F, C, B, G, N9a were typed in the mtDNA. Haplogroup C-M130 was detected in Y-chromosome aDNA. Gangga people exhibited a high frequency of Haplogroup C-F3918 (belonging to C3*), indicating it may be the main Y-haplogroup in the Shiwei population. In addition, all Gangga males buried in log coffins exhibited C-F3918 suggesting that C-F3918 might be the characteristic Y-chromosome haplogroup of the royal ancient Mongols.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Bio-cultural Approach to the Osteoarchaeological Inquiries in China   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15748