Ancient human genomes from the Altai region reveal population continuity and shifts in the 4th-12th centuries

Ozdemir, Y. C.; Gyuris, B.; Jakab, K.; Szeniczey, T.; Heltai, B.; Megyes, M.; Mende, B. G.; Major, I.; Seregin, N.; Gorbunov, V. V.; Grushin, S.; Dashkovskiy, P. K.; Demin, M. A.; Kiryushin, K. Y.; Mamadakov, Y. T.; Stepanova, N. F.; Tur, S. S.; Fribus, A. V.; Rykun, M. P.; Turk, A.; Tishkin, A. A.; Szecsenyi-Nagy, A.

doi:10.64898/2026.03.24.713889

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bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.03.24.713889

Ancient human genomes from the Altai region reveal population continuity and shifts in the 4th-12th centuries

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Abstract

The Altai region is a crossroads of the Asian steppes. However, the population history of the region remains understudied. We analyse ancient human genomes from the Altai and Ob regions, creating a ca. 1400-year-long time transect with 91 new data. We demonstrate an Iron Age genetic variety that continued into the Medieval era, with additional large-scale spread of East Asian genetic ancestry coinciding with the rise and spread of the Turkic cultural customs. Furthermore, we find a unique lineage in the Early Medieval Altai with elevated Ancient North Eurasian ancestry, providing a missing link between the North Eurasian hunter-gatherers and modern North Asian people. We identify distinct genetic patterns and connections among populations of the Mountainous and the Forest-Steppe Altai in the 4th-8th centuries.

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Ozdemir, Y. C., Gyuris, B., Jakab, K., Szeniczey, T., Heltai, B., Megyes, M., Mende, B. G., Major, I., Seregin, N., Gorbunov, V. V., Grushin, S., Dashkovskiy, P. K., Demin, M. A., Kiryushin, K. Y., Mamadakov, Y. T., Stepanova, N. F., Tur, S. S., Fribus, A. V., Rykun, M. P., Turk, A., Tishkin, A. A., Szecsenyi-Nagy, A.. 2026-03-25. Ancient human genomes from the Altai region reveal population continuity and shifts in the 4th-12th centuries. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.03.24.713889

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