Was the original Middle East closer to Caucasus people than to Modern Middle Easterners?

[daedal1]

This is with regards to the pre-Afro-Asiatic Middle East (Sumerians, etc.).

You already see Assyrians (who score 0% SSA) cluster with Armenians. Assyrians are likely closest to the proto-Semites and proto-Afro-Asiatics, or at least more so than modern 'arabs'.

Interestingly, it has been suggested that the Proto-Northeast Caucasian language originated from the Fertile Crescent, and that Chechens, etc. arrived from ancient Mesopotamia to the Caucasus. It has also been suggested that Anatolia was originally inhabited by NW Caucasian speakers (Hattians), which would explain the genetic relations between Anatolia and the Caucasus. And the Northeast Caucasian languages are said to be connected to Etruscan, possibly even extending to Basque.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hattian_language

You already see the genetic shift caused by the Arab Invasions here with some levantines being placed into the west asian group alongside iranians, turks and caucasus people, while others end up in the MENA proper cluster with north africans and gulf arabs:



In addition, Leb Muslims/Syrians also cluster away from Leb Christians in the direction of Gulf Arabs, demonstrating heavy arab admixture.

Given the SSA found in the Levant, and given the position of Sardinians, who are said to be closest to the neolithic migrants, it's likely that the Middle East did face many demographic diffusions and may have been considerably different from what it is now.

This can extend to the genetic similarities found between Sardinians and Mozabites (Berbers/North Africans being watered down Meds with SSA, etc.).

[Prisoner Of Ice]

yes, obviously.

[Smeagol]

Yes.

[Proctor]

Yup.

[YeshAtid]

Yes

[daedal1]

So modern middle eastern people would basically be watered down 'Georgians'.

[Gaston]

No, people are retarded around here. They have no idea what they are talking about, especially daedal1. West Asian-like ancestry is recent in the Levant and Arabia because some Neolithic-descended people of the West Mediterranean lack West Asian ancestry.

[daedal1]

No, people are retarded around here. They have no idea what they are talking about, especially daedal1. West Asian-like ancestry is recent in the Levant and Arabia because some Neolithic-descended people of the West Mediterranean lack West Asian ancestry.

Original Chechen West Asians came from the Fertile Crescent.



So the original Fertile Crescent was certainly different from the modern one as chechens/caucasians lack the exotic extra-ancestry of the modern inhabitants, if you were a european yourself, and not a moroccan pretending to be french, you would also agree.

[Anglojew]

Yes. This is why Jews (such as myself) show affinity with Caucasus populations.

The historical record shows that due to the Mongol invasions much of the Middle East was replaced by Arabians;

http://www.anthrogenica.com/showthre...h-the-Mongols&

[Gaston]

Original Chechen West Asians came from the Fertile Crescent.



So the original Fertile Crescent was certainly different from the modern one as chechens/caucasians lack the exotic extra-ancestry of the modern inhabitants, if you were a european yourself, and not a moroccan pretending to be french, you would also agree.

Everything this mentally-ill guy write is nonsense. Chechens, a non-European people of the Northern Caucasus had their genesis in the Caucasus, not in the Fertile Crescent.