Genetic history of the Turkish people

In population genetics the question has been debated whether the modern Turkish population is significantly related to other Turkic peoples, or whether they are rather derived from indigenous populations of Anatolia which were culturally assimilated during the Middle Ages. The discussion of the question in population genetics has historically been marred by Turkish nationalism which postulates a Pan-Turkic identity emphasizing Central Asian roots.^[1][2] Contrary to nationalist dogma, studies of population genetics have indicated that the modern Anatolian Turks are prevalently descended from indigenous (pre-Islamic) Anatolian populations.^[3]

Contents 1 Testing the "Elite dominance language replacement" hypothesis 2 The Central Asian and Uralic connection 3 Haplogroup distributions in Turks 4 Further Research on Turkish Y-DNA Groups 5 See also 6 References and notes

Testing the "Elite dominance language replacement" hypothesis

Turkish and Azeri populations are atypical among Altaic speakers in having low frequencies of Asiatic haplotypes. Rather, these two Turkic-speaking groups seem to be closer to populations from the Middle East, Caucasus and the Balkans. This finding is consistent with a model in which the Turkic languages, originating in the Altai-Sayan region of Central Asia and northwestern Mongolia, were imposed on the indigenous peoples without significant genetic admixture, possible example of elite cultural dominance - driven linguistic replacement.^[4]

A 2010 publication by Prof. Inci Togan and co-workers based on mitochondrial and Y-chromosome DNA estimated a 13% Central Asian genetic contribution to Anatolia compared to the Balkans.^[5] A 2011 study reveals the impossibility of long-term, and continuing genetic contacts between Anatolia and Siberia, and confirms the presence of significant mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome divergence between this regions, with minimal admixture. The research confirms also the lack of mass migration with correlative archeological, historical, and linguistic data, and suggests that it was irregular punctuated migration events that engendered large-scale shifts in language and culture among Anatolia's diverse autochthonous inhabitants.^[6]

The Central Asian and Uralic connection

The question to what extent a gene flow from Central Asia to Anatolia has contributed to the current gene pool of the Turkish people, and what the role is in this of the 11th century invasion by Oghuz Turks, has been the subject of several studies. A factor that makes it difficult to give reliable estimates, is the problem of distinguishing between the effects of different migratory episodes. Recent genetics researches indicates that some the Turkic peoples originated from Central Asia and therefore are possibly related with Xiongnu.^[8] A majority (89%) of the Xiongnu sequences can be classified as belonging to an Asian haplogroups and nearly 11% belong to European haplogroups. This finding indicates that the contacts between European and Asian populations were anterior to the Xiongnu culture, and it confirms results reported for two samples from an early 3rd century B.C. Scytho-Siberian population.^[9] According to the study, Turkish Anatolian tribes may have some ancestors who originated in an area north of Mongolia at the end of the Xiongnu period (3rd century BCE to the 2nd century CE), since modern Anatolian Turks appear to have some common genetic markers with the remains found at the Xiongnu period graves in Mongolia.^[10] Moreover, the mtDNA (female linkeage) sequence shared by four of these paternal relatives were also found in a Turkish individuals,^[11] suggesting a possible Turkic origin of these ancient specimens.^[8][12]

Haplogroup distributions in Turks

According to Cinnioglu et al., (2004)^[13] there are many Y-DNA haplogroups present in Turkey. The majority haplogroups are primarily shared with European, Caucasian and Middle Eastern populations such as haplogroups E3b, G, J, I, R1a, R1b, K and T which form 78.5% from the Turkish Gene pool (without R1b, K, and which notably occur elsewhere, it is 59.3%) and contrast with a smaller share of haplogroups related to Central Asia (N and Q)- 5.7% (but it rises to 36% if K, R1a, R1b and L- which infrequently occur in Central Asia, but are notable in many other Western Turkic groups), India H, R2 - 1.5% and Africa A, E3*, E3a - 1%. Some of the percentages identified were:

• J1=9% - Typical amongst people from the Arabian Peninsula and Dagestan (ranging from 3% from Turks around Konya to 12% in Kurds).
• J2=24% - J2 (M172) Typical of populations of the Near East, Southeast Europe, Southwest Asia and the Caucasus, with a moderate distribution through much of Central Asia, South Asia, and North Africa
• R1a=6.9% - Typical of Central Asian, Caucasus, Eastern Europeans and Indo-Aryan people.
• I=5.3% - Typical of Central Europeans, Western Caucasian and Balkan populations.
• R1b=14.7% -Typical of Western Europeans and Eurasian People ^[14]
• E1b1b1=10.7% - Typical of people from the Mediterranean
• G=10.9% - Typical of people from the Caucasus and to a lesser extent the Middle East.
• N=3.8% - Typical of Uralic, Siberian and Altaic populations.
• T=2.5% - Typical of Mediterranean, Northeast African and South Asian populations
• K=4.5% - Typical of Asian populations and Caucasian populations.
• L=4.2% - Typical of Indian Subcontinent and Khorasan populations.
• Q=1.9% - Typical of Northern Altaic populations.

Further Research on Turkish Y-DNA Groups

A study from Turkey by Gokcumen (2008)^[15][16] took into account oral histories and historical records. They went to four settlements in Central Anatolia and did not do a random selection from a group of university students like many other studies. Accordingly here are the results:

1) At an Afshar village whose oral stories tell they come from Central Asia they found that 57% come from haplogroup L, 13% from haplogroup Q, 3% from haplogroup N thus indicating that the L haplogroups in Turkey are of Central Asian heritage rather than Indian, although these Central Asians would have gotten the L markers from the Indians from the beginning. These Asian groups add up to 73% in this village. Furthermore 10% of these Afshars were E3a and E3b. Only 13% were J2a, the most common haplogroup in Turkey.

2) An older Turkish village center that did not receive much migration was about 25% N and 25% J2a with 3% G and close to 30% of some sort of R1 but mostly R1b.

See also

Demographics of Turkey Genetic genealogy History of the Turkish people History of the Turkic peoples Timeline of Turks (500-1300) History of Anatolia Turkish diaspora

Archaeogenetics of the Near East Genetic history of the British Isles Genetic history of indigenous peoples of the Americas Genetic history of Europe Genetic history of Italy Genetics and archaeogenetics of South Asia

Molecular Anthropology portal Evolutionary biology portal

References and notes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_J2_%28Y-DNA%29