An individual with Sarmatian-related ancestry in Roman Britain

[RCO]

An individual with Sarmatian-related ancestry in Roman Britain

Marina Silva et al

Highlights
• Ancestry outlier identified in rural Roman Britain dating to 126–228 cal. CE
• Genetically related to contemporary Sarmatian- and Caucasus-associated groups
• Stable isotope analysis reveals life history of mobility
• Deployment of Sarmatian cavalry to Britain in 175 CE is a plausible explanation

Summary
In the second century CE the Roman Empire had increasing contact with Sarmatians, nomadic Iranian speakers occupying an area stretching from the Pontic-Caspian steppe to the Carpathian mountains, both in the Caucasus and in the Danubian borders of the empire.1,2,3 In 175 CE, following their defeat in the Marcomannic Wars, emperor Marcus Aurelius drafted Sarmatian cavalry into Roman legions and deployed 5,500 Sarmatian soldiers to Britain, as recorded by contemporary historian Cassius Dio.4,5 Little is known about where the Sarmatian cavalry were stationed, and no individuals connected with this historically attested event have been identified to date, leaving its impact on Britain largely unknown. Here we document Caucasus- and Sarmatian-related ancestry in the whole genome of a Roman-period individual (126–228 calibrated [cal.] CE)—an outlier without traceable ancestry related to local populations in Britain—recovered from a farmstead site in present-day Cambridgeshire, UK. Stable isotopes support a life history of mobility during childhood. Although several scenarios are possible, the historical deployment of Sarmatians to Britain provides a parsimonious explanation for this individual’s extraordinary life history. Regardless of the factors behind his migrations, these results highlight how long-range mobility facilitated by the Roman Empire impacted provincial locations outside of urban centers.

Very important article. The first Sarmatian/Alan individual documented in Western Europe
R1b-Y13369 (a sub-branch of R1b1a1b1b/R1b-Z2103)
mtDNA haplogroup K1a
Offord Cluny 203645 is most similar to present-day individuals from Anatolia and the Caucasus (Figures 1C and S2A). Specifically, he shows affinities to Late Bronze Age individuals from Armenia (Armenia_LBA) and individuals recovered from Alan-associated contexts in the North Caucasus (Russia_Sarmatian_Alan, dating to 450–1350 CE,10 generally considered as part of the Sarmatian confederation11), but not with individuals from Armenia who post-date the Bronze Age (here defined as Armenia_Antiquity12) (Figure 1D).

[RCO]

FamilyTreeDNA® Big Y Group (Facebook)
Göran Runström
"Offord Cluny 203645" forms a new branch together with old and new Big Y testers under R-L584. The customers' ancestry is reported to be from around Georgia. Two new branches in total:
R-M207>M173>M343>L754>L761>L389>P297>M269>L23>Z2103>M12149>Y13369>L584>FTA62508>FT147157(new)>FTF5689(new)

[jamtastic]

Isn't this the Yamnaya clade of R1b?

[Sephesakueu]

That is one southern shifted sarmatian.

[Andar]

He isnt Sarmatian and not even sure if he has any kind of Sarmatian-like admix. It is just a sample from the Caucasus probably similar to Georgians or some group shifted north of Armenians

[RCO]

Sarmatians and Alans had the Southern CHG-IRAN just like the first Bronze Age Indo-European populations in the steppe, a constant flux just like the constant flux of Europeans to South and North America, not a single pulse or a single event, but the Indo-European CHG-IRAN invasion of the steppe had a constant movement for a long time.

[eastara]

Real Sarmatians around 200CE had already some East Asian admixture, while Late Sarmatians from Pannonia are almost completely Gothic like. There are always disputes for the Balkans if the Caucasian like admixture came directly from Anatolia, or through the steppe, however this guy haplogroup is clearly Anatolian.

[RCO]

Ancient DNA analysis of Early Medieval Alan populations of the North Caucasus
Murat Dzhaubermezov et al.EAA2021: Abstract - EAA2021: Abstract

most of the samples are close to the modern populations of the North Caucasus, and some of the samples show an admixture of the East Asian component or a connection with the populations of the Volga-Ural region

https://eaa.klinkhamergroup.com/eaa2021/...rmezov.pdf



Some individuals (yellow stars) were close to Armenia and Iran

https://submissions.e-a-a.org/eaa2021/re...4oI_vJmM2M

[BowFX]

while Late Sarmatians from Pannonia are almost completely Gothic like.

What do you mean Gothic-like? As in they had East Germanic admix?

[Dewsloth]

They are sure pulling some fascinating non-elite Roman-era samples out of Cambridgeshire!

Offard Cluny is only about 4 miles from Fenstanton, where they found the Roman era crucifixion skeleton and also either the earliest or second earliest DF19 burial in Britain (not sure if 6DT23 is older, they might both be descendants of Germanic auxiliaries/Batavi).

https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/romancrucifixion

I wonder if the area included a retirement community like Aosta.

Aosta was settled in proto-historic times and later became a centre of the Salassi, many of whom were killed or sold into slavery by the Romans in 25 BC.[7] The campaign was led by Terentius Varro, who then founded the Roman colony of Augusta Praetoria Salassorum, housing 3,000 retired veterans.

[Andar]

Ancient DNA analysis of Early Medieval Alan populations of the North Caucasus
Murat Dzhaubermezov et al.EAA2021: Abstract - EAA2021: Abstract

most of the samples are close to the modern populations of the North Caucasus, and some of the samples show an admixture of the East Asian component or a connection with the populations of the Volga-Ural region

https://eaa.klinkhamergroup.com/eaa2021/...rmezov.pdf



Some individuals (yellow stars) were close to Armenia and Iran

https://submissions.e-a-a.org/eaa2021/re...4oI_vJmM2M

He is 100% not Sarmatian and they dont even found any connection to Sarmatians beside him being non-local and dying young (they speculate because he was in the military). Also the Sarmatians sent to Britain were Iazyges from Pannonia and they certainly not had such a profile

[jamtastic]

Ancient DNA analysis of Early Medieval Alan populations of the North Caucasus
Murat Dzhaubermezov et al.EAA2021: Abstract - EAA2021: Abstract

most of the samples are close to the modern populations of the North Caucasus, and some of the samples show an admixture of the East Asian component or a connection with the populations of the Volga-Ural region

https://eaa.klinkhamergroup.com/eaa2021/...rmezov.pdf



Some individuals (yellow stars) were close to Armenia and Iran

https://submissions.e-a-a.org/eaa2021/re...4oI_vJmM2M

He is 100% not Sarmatian and they dont even found any connection to Sarmatians beside him being non-local and dying young (they speculate because he was in the military). Also the Sarmatians sent to Britain were Iazyges from Pannonia and they certainly not had such a profile

I seem to remember there being a good bit of discussion over last several years about even early Iazyges being Vekerzug-like.

[Etio]

https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ena/browser/view/PRJEB67353

Updated 3 days ago for files.

[eastara]

while Late Sarmatians from Pannonia are almost completely Gothic like.

What do you mean Gothic-like? As in they had East Germanic admix?

Well, in the recent Serbian study all Sarmatian admixed samples are Balkans Iron Age+Central/Northern Europe+Sarmatian-related. This maybe coming from the Chernyakhov culture where the East Goths moved to the steppe, mixed with Alans and other steppe people and then moved back to the Balkans.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernyakhov_culture
There are more samples labeled "Late Sarmatians 4-5 c." from the Hungarian study which are with majority Germanic haplogroups. Although they are considered Sarmatians in archaeological context obviously already heavily admixed with Central/North Europe and local people.

[BowFX]

while Late Sarmatians from Pannonia are almost completely Gothic like.

What do you mean Gothic-like? As in they had East Germanic admix?

Well, in the recent Serbian study all Sarmatian admixed samples are Balkans Iron Age+Central/Northern Europe+Sarmatian-related. This maybe coming from the Chernyakhov culture where the East Goths moved to the steppe, mixed with Alans and other steppe people and then moved back to the Balkans.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernyakhov_culture
There are more samples labeled "Late Sarmatians 4-5 c." from the Hungarian study which are with majority Germanic haplogroups. Although they are considered Sarmatians in archaeological context obviously already heavily admixed with Central/North Europe and local people.

Oh interesting. So Goths mixed with Sarmatian-related groups before migrating to the Balkans? Wonder if this is also the case for those that migrated to Italy, Iberia and North Africa.