Common Ancestors of Turkic-speaking Peoples: Genetic Aspects

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2024-3/355-365

Abstract

Centuries of migration contributed to the spread of Turkic-speaking peoples over vast areas — from Siberia, through Central Asia, to Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The genetic structure of the populations of the Altai-Sayan Plateau, the Yakuts (Sakha), the Siberian Tatars, the peoples of the Volga-Urals, the North Caucasus and the Gagauz of Moldova was formed as a result of systematic and random evolutionary factors. A pronounced gradient in the frequencies of Mongoloid and Caucasoid alleles is observed in Turkic-speaking populations. Studies on the polymorphism of genetic and biochemical markers, mtDNA and Y chromosome have revealed the anthropogenetic heterogeneity of Turkic groups. The northeastern Turkic groups were found to have pronounced markers of the North Asian component, and the southwestern groups represent the southern Caucasoid anthropological complex. Analysis of full genome data on high-density genotypes identified the dates of admixture as the 9th–17th centuries, coinciding with nomadic migrations of the 5th–16th centuries. Assimilation and mixing were accompanied by the linguistic expansion of the Turkic language and the formation of its various dialects. The Turkic language as a whole proved to be very plastic and suitable for communication between peoples.