Scythian Warrior Tombs Found in the Altai Region of Mongolia
Posted on November 13, 2012
Researchers led by the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) have found Scythian warrior tombs in the Altai Region of Mongolia. The researchers also say they discovered the first scientific evidence (after analzying mitochondrial DNA from Bronze Age and Iron Age skeletons) of genetic blending between Europeans and Asians in the remains of the ancient Scythian warriors. The warriors lived over 2,000 years ago. The Altai is a mountain range in Central Asia occupying territories of Russia and Kazakhstan to the west and of Mongolia and China to the east.
Assumpcio Malgosa, professor of Biological Anthropology at UAB and coordinator of the research, said in a release, "The results provide exceptionally valuable information about how and when the population diversity found today in Central Asian steppes appeared. They point to the possibility that this occurred in Altai over 2,000 years ago between the local population on both sides of the mountain range, coinciding with the expansion of the Scythian culture, which came from the west."
The research was published here in PLoS One.
