Archaeogenetics of Late Iron Age Çemialo Sırtı, Batman: Investigating maternal genetic continuity in north Mesopotamia since the Neolithic

Objectives North Mesopotamia has witnessed dramatic social change during the Holocene, but the impact of these events on its demographic history is poorly understood. Here, we study this question by analysing genetic data from the recently excavated Late Iron Age settlement of Çemialo Sırtı in Batma...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of physical anthropology 2018-05, Vol.166 (1), p.196-207
Main Authors: Yaka, Reyhan, Birand, Ayşegül, Yılmaz, Yasemin, Caner, Ceren, Açan, Sinan Can, Gündüzalp, Sidar, Parvizi, Poorya, Erim Özdoğan, Aslı, Togan, İnci, Somel, Mehmet
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Achaemenid Period
Adult
Affinity
ancient DNA
Archaeology
Asian Continental Ancestry Group - genetics
demographic history
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA
DNA, Ancient - analysis
DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics
European Continental Ancestry Group - genetics
Female
Genetic diversity
Genetics
Genetics, Population
Haplotypes
History, Ancient
Holocene
Humans
Iron Age
Lower Garzan Basin
Male
Mesopotamia - ethnology
Mitochondrial DNA
Neolithic
Nomads
north Mesopotamia
Population
Population growth
Sequences
Social change
Çemialo Sırtı
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Summary:Objectives North Mesopotamia has witnessed dramatic social change during the Holocene, but the impact of these events on its demographic history is poorly understood. Here, we study this question by analysing genetic data from the recently excavated Late Iron Age settlement of Çemialo Sırtı in Batman, southeast Turkey. Archaeological and radiocarbon evidence indicate that the site was inhabited during the second and first millennia BCE. Çemialo Sırtı reveals nomadic items of the Early Iron Age, as well as items associated with the Late Achaemenid and subsequent Hellenistic Periods. We compare Çemialo Sırtı mitochondrial DNA profiles with earlier and later populations from west Eurasia to describe genetic continuity patterns in the region. Materials and methods A total of 16 Çemialo Sırtı individuals' remains were studied. PCR and Sanger sequencing were used to obtain mitochondrial DNA HVRI‐HVRII sequences. We studied haplotype diversity and pairwise genetic distances using FST, comparing the Çemialo Sırtı population with ancient and modern‐day populations from west Eurasia. Coalescent simulations were carried out to test continuity for specific population comparisons. Results Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes from 12 Çemialo Sırtı individuals reveal high haplotype diversity in this population, conspicuously higher than early Holocene west Eurasian populations, which supports the notion of increasing population admixture in west Eurasia through the Holocene. In its mtDNA composition, Çemialo Sırtı shows highest affinity to Neolithic north Syria and Neolithic Anatolia among ancient populations studied, and to modern‐day southwest Asian populations. Based on population genetic simulations we cannot reject continuity between Neolithic and Iron Age, or between Iron Age and present‐day populations of the region. Discussion Despite the region's complex sociopolitical history and indication for increased genetic diversity over time, we find no evidence for sharp shifts in north Mesopotamian maternal genetic composition within the last 10,000 years.
ISSN:0002-9483
1096-8644
DOI:10.1002/ajpa.23423