May 07, 2005

Armenian modal haplotype

The most frequent haplotype in a sample of Armenians was seen against the background of HG1 Y chromosomes. It occurred in all Armenian groups, at frequencies ~5-14%. According to YHRD, the same haplotype defined over more loci (14 13 29 24 11 13 12 11,14) was also the most frequent one, occurring in 3% of Armenians (*). According to Whit Athey's haplogroup predictor, this is suggestive of haplogroup R1b. A search for the haplotype in YHRD produced the following result:

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The geographical distribution of this haplotype is such that it is shared by Armenians and two other populations from the Caucasus. Moreover, it is lacking in most other populations from the Caucasus, as well as in the other populations from further east. On the other hand, it is more frequently found in Europe, where as we know, haplogroup R1b tends to have higher frequencies as well.

The Armenian modal haplotype is also the modal R1b3 haplotype observed by Cinnioglu in Anatolia. According to him, apparently it entered Anatolia from Europe in Paleolithic times, and diffused again from Anatolia in the Late Upper Paleolithic.

An alternative explanation may be that the particular haplotype may have been associated with the movement of the Phrygians into Asia Minor. The Phrygians were an Indo-European people of the Balkans who settled in Asia Minor, and the Armenians were reputed to be descended from them. It would be interesting to thoroughly study the populations of modern Thrace, Anatolia, and Armenia, and to investigate whether a subgroup of R1b3 chromosomes linked by the Armenian modal haplotype may represent the signature of a back-migration into Asia of Balkan Indo-European peoples.

(*) Since this is an extended haplotype which includes some fast mutating markers, it is expected that it would occur at a lower frequency than the 6-locus haplotype reported by Weale et al.

2 comments:

Paul Rushworth-Brown said...

Hi, my name is Paul Brown, I currently live in Australia, but I was born in England. My haplogroup is Rib M343 like much of Britain, but my subgroup is R1b1a2a1 (L150+). I found out that this haplogroup subgroup is very rare and has some Italian connection. I have researched and reseached and have found little except there is a possiblility that my ancestors were possibly part of the early Asian horse backed invaders of Europe in the Neolithic period. I believe they may have been part of the Dacians. Would love to hear your thoughts.

vanda said...

My father was M269* or R1b1a2* later Atlantic Model Irish M222. I am an amateur at this, but agree completely. My mother was H13a1a whose group is rare in the H's, was also from this area approx same date 8000 yo (I believe up to 13,000 yo).I believe H mom and R dad DNA always were together, Paleo Europe from Armenia 25K BC, post LGM to Armenia 12,000, 8000 BC to Balkans as farmers of Danubian Valley Culture, back to Volga-Ural-Maikop 4000 BC, down to Armenia-Mesopotamia-Levant-Egypt, later back to EU Ireland. Remember they were Paleo mammoth hunters range from Europe to Altai and R1b1a from V-U-M came down to Armenia and split 3 ways there. Refer to: The Horse, The Wheel, And Language by David W. Anthony, areas in the Balkans,and Turkey LGM, and the areas of Sanlurfa, Gobekli Tepe, Cayonu Tepe, and statue of man from Gobekli Tepe--looks very European to me with round eyes and a hair style similar to the Suebian Knot of Europe. The tepe's were at 10,000k so probably only R1b then. They say R1b began in South Armenia around Lake Severn. Research yourself.