Bronze Age Northern Eurasian Genetics in the Context of Development of Metallurgy and Siberian Ancestry

Abstract

45 46 The Eurasian Bronze Age (BA) has been described as a period of substantial human 47 migrations, the emergence of pastoralism, horse domestication, and development of 48 metallurgy. This study focuses on individuals associated with BA metallurgical production, 49 specifically the Seima-Turbino (ST) phenomenon (~2,200-1,900 BCE) associated with 50 elaborate metal objects found across Northern Eurasia. The genetic profiles of nine ST- 51 associated individuals vary widely ranging between ancestries maximized in individuals from 52 the Eastern Siberian Late Neolithic/BA, and those of the Western Steppe Middle Late BA. The 53 genetic heterogeneity observed is consistent with the current understanding of the ST 54 metallurgical network as a transcultural phenomenon. The new data also shed light on the 55 temporal and spatial range of an ancient Siberian genetic ancestry component, which is shared 56 across many Uralic-speaking populations, and which we explore further via demographic 57 modeling using additional genome-wide (2 individuals) and whole genome data (5 individuals, 58 including a ~30x genome) from northwestern Russia. 59 60