Research Article

A western Eurasian male is found in 2000-year-old elite Xiongnu cemetery in Northeast Mongolia

  1. Kijeong Kim1,†,
  2. Charles H. Brenner2,3,†,
  3. Victor H. Mair4,
  4. Kwang-Ho Lee5,
  5. Jae-Hyun Kim6,
  6. Eregzen Gelegdorj7,
  7. Natsag Batbold8,
  8. Yi-Chung Song9,
  9. Hyeung-Won Yun9,
  10. Eun-Jeong Chang9,
  11. Gavaachimed Lkhagvasuren10,
  12. Munkhtsetseg Bazarragchaa1,
  13. Ae-Ja Park1,
  14. Inja Lim1,
  15. Yun-Pyo Hong1,
  16. Wonyong Kim1,
  17. Sang-In Chung1,
  18. Dae-Jin Kim1,
  19. Yoon-Hee Chung1,
  20. Sung-Su Kim1,
  21. Won-Bok Lee1,
  22. Kyung-Yong Kim1,*

Article first published online: 20 JAN 2010

DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.21242

Issue

American Journal of Physical Anthropology

American Journal of Physical Anthropology

Volume 142, Issue 3, pages 429–440, July 2010

Additional Information

How to Cite

Kim, K., Brenner, C. H., Mair, V. H., Lee, K.-H., Kim, J.-H., Gelegdorj, E., Batbold, N., Song, Y.-C., Yun, H.-W., Chang, E.-J., Lkhagvasuren, G., Bazarragchaa, M., Park, A.-J., Lim, I., Hong, Y.-P., Kim, W., Chung, S.-I., Kim, D.-J., Chung, Y.-H., Kim, S.-S., Lee, W.-B. and Kim, K.-Y. (2010), A western Eurasian male is found in 2000-year-old elite Xiongnu cemetery in Northeast Mongolia. Am. J. Phys. Anthropol., 142: 429–440. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.21242

Author Information

  1. 1

    Institute for Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 156-756, South Korea

  2. 2

    DNA·VIEW, Oakland, CA 94601

  3. 3

    School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720

  4. 4

    Department of East Asian Language and Civilization, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104

  5. 5

    Department of Life Science, College of Natural Science, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 156-756, South Korea

  6. 6

    Department of Archaeology and Art History, College of Humanities, Donga University, Pusan 604-714, South Korea

  7. 7

    National Museum of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar 210646, Mongolia

  8. 8

    Institute of Archaeology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar 210646, Mongolia

  9. 9

    National Museum of Korea, Seoul 140-026, South Korea

  10. 10

    Department of Science and Culture, Graduate School, Chung-Ang University, South Korea

  1. †

    The authors Kijeong Kim and Charles H. Brenner contributed equally to this work.

*Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine and Medical School, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 156-756, Republic of Korea

  1. †

    The authors Kijeong Kim and Charles H. Brenner contributed equally to this work.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 7 JUN 2010
  2. Article first published online: 20 JAN 2010
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 3 NOV 2009
  4. Manuscript Received: 1 JUL 2009

Funded by

  • National Museum of Korea
  • Korea Research Foundation (KRF). Grant Number: 2009-0073831

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Keywords:

  • Xiongnu;
  • R1a1;
  • Indo-European migration;
  • Northeast Asia;
  • ancient DNA

Abstract

We analyzed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosome single nucleotide polymorphisms (Y-SNP), and autosomal short tandem repeats (STR) of three skeletons found in a 2,000-year-old Xiongnu elite cemetery in Duurlig Nars of Northeast Mongolia. This study is one of the first reports of the detailed genetic analysis of ancient human remains using the three types of genetic markers. The DNA analyses revealed that one subject was an ancient male skeleton with maternal U2e1 and paternal R1a1 haplogroups. This is the first genetic evidence that a male of distinctive Indo-European lineages (R1a1) was present in the Xiongnu of Mongolia. This might indicate an Indo-European migration into Northeast Asia 2,000 years ago. Other specimens are a female with mtDNA haplogroup D4 and a male with Y-SNP haplogroup C3 and mtDNA haplogroup D4. Those haplogroups are common in Northeast Asia. There was no close kinship among them. The genetic evidence of U2e1 and R1a1 may help to clarify the migration patterns of Indo-Europeans and ancient East-West contacts of the Xiongnu Empire. Artifacts in the tombs suggested that the Xiongnu had a system of the social stratification. The West Eurasian male might show the racial tolerance of the Xiongnu Empire and some insight into the Xiongnu society. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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