Scythians were genetically heterogenous

[Borealis]

In this post I will show that the Scythians across many different regions differed genetically using a model first using mostly ancients and comparing them to each other+modern populations, and then I use strictly moderns. Here goes:

[Borealis]

My mistake, I did not need to have both mongola and han in the second model. only one is necessary

[Daco Celtic]

Thanks for posting this. I ran myself against the different Scythians. I come closest to Scythian_HUN

"sample": "Custom: DacoCeltic_scaled",
"fit": 2.7998,
"Scythian_HUN": 48.33,
"Scythian_MDA": 29.17,
"Scythian_UKR": 19.17,
"Saka_Tian_Shan": 3.33,
"Saka_Kazakh_steppe": 0,
"Scythian_Aldy_Bel_IA": 0,
"Scythian_Zevakino_Chilikta_IA": 0,

"closestDistances": [
"Scythian_HUN: DA195: 4.654376",
"Scythian_HUN: DA197: 4.825711",
"Scythian_UKR:scy010: 5.411110",
"Scythian_HUN: DA194: 6.334399",
"Scythian_HUN: DA191: 6.521269",
"Scythian_MDA:scy305: 6.521794",
"Scythian_MDA:scy311: 6.669490",
"Scythian_MDA:scy301: 6.876655",
"Scythian_MDA:scy197: 7.032101",
"Scythian_UKR:scy009: 7.182825",
"Scythian_MDA:scy192: 7.311287",
"Scythian_MDA:scy300: 7.688812",
"Scythian_HUN: DA198: 7.743548",
"Scythian_UKR:scy011: 9.444964",
"Saka_Tian_Shan: DA53: 14.664605",
"Saka_Tian_Shan: DA51: 16.562142",
"Saka_Tian_Shan: DA58: 16.978126",
"Saka_Tian_Shan: DA47: 18.869046",
"Scythian_Zevakino_Chilikta_IA:IS2: 18.927020",
"Saka_Tian_Shan : DA57: 19.496164",
"Saka_Tian_Shan : DA49: 19.899843",
"Saka_Tian_Shan : DA55: 20.881769",
"Scythian_Aldy_Bel_IA:I0577: 21.712406",
"Saka_Tian_Shan: DA50: 25.256786",
"Saka_Kazakh_steppe: DA14: 26.310504",
"Saka_Kazakh_steppe: DA10: 26.636052",
"Saka_Kazakh_steppe: DA13: 26.816621",
"Saka_Kazakh_steppe: DA16: 27.253731",
"Saka_Kazakh_steppe: DA11: 27.434019",
"Saka_Kazakh_steppe: DA15: 30.180391",
"Scythian_Zevakino_Chilikta_IA:Ze6b: 32.689476",
"Scythian_Aldy_Bel_IA:I0576: 34.119240"

[Dick]

So what does this mean then



"fit": 2.6322,
"Scythian_UKR": 45,
"Scythian_HUN": 31.67,
"Scythian_MDA": 23.33,
"Saka_Kazakh_steppe_o1": 0,
"Saka_Tian_Shan": 0,
"Scythian_Aldy_Bel_IA": 0,
"Scythian_Zevakino_Chilikta_IA": 0,

"closestDistances": [
"Scythian_HUN: DA195: 3.714780",
"Scythian_HUN: DA197: 5.086025",
"Scythian_UKR:scy010: 6.165073",
"Scythian_MDA:scy305: 6.525821",
"Scythian_HUN: DA191: 6.724042",
"Scythian_MDA:scy197: 6.821055",
"Scythian_UKR:scy009: 6.842449",
"Scythian_HUN: DA194: 7.152032",
"Scythian_MDA:scy192: 7.194610",
"Scythian_MDA:scy301: 7.226881",
"Scythian_MDA:scy300: 7.569487",
"Scythian_MDA:scy311: 7.626475",
"Scythian_HUN: DA198: 7.821479",
"Scythian_UKR:scy011: 9.300049",
"Saka_Kazakh_steppe_o1: DA17: 14.823237",
"Saka_Tian_Shan: DA53: 14.885525",
"Saka_Tian_Shan: DA51: 17.048234",
"Saka_Tian_Shan: DA58: 17.625687",
"Saka_Tian_Shan: DA47: 19.138441",
"Scythian_Zevakino_Chilikta_IA:IS2: 19.681441",
"Saka_Tian_Shan: DA57: 20.035418",
"Saka_Tian_Shan: DA49: 20.140376",
"Saka_Tian_Shan: DA55: 21.362839",
"Scythian_Aldy_Bel_IA:I0577: 22.175810",
"Saka_Tian_Shan: DA50: 25.476244",
"Scythian_Zevakino_Chilikta_IA:Ze6b: 32.820311",
"Scythian_Aldy_Bel_IA:I0576: 34.469949"

[Borealis]

Thanks for posting this. I ran myself against the different Scythians. I come closest to Scythian_HUN

"sample": "Custom: DacoCeltic_scaled",
"fit": 2.7998,
"Scythian_HUN": 48.33,
"Scythian_MDA": 29.17,
"Scythian_UKR": 19.17,
"Saka_Tian_Shan": 3.33,
"Saka_Kazakh_steppe": 0,
"Scythian_Aldy_Bel_IA": 0,
"Scythian_Zevakino_Chilikta_IA": 0,

"closestDistances": [
"Scythian_HUN: DA195: 4.654376",
"Scythian_HUN: DA197: 4.825711",
"Scythian_UKR:scy010: 5.411110",
"Scythian_HUN: DA194: 6.334399",
"Scythian_HUN: DA191: 6.521269",
"Scythian_MDA:scy305: 6.521794",
"Scythian_MDA:scy311: 6.669490",
"Scythian_MDA:scy301: 6.876655",
"Scythian_MDA:scy197: 7.032101",
"Scythian_UKR:scy009: 7.182825",
"Scythian_MDA:scy192: 7.311287",
"Scythian_MDA:scy300: 7.688812",
"Scythian_HUN: DA198: 7.743548",
"Scythian_UKR:scy011: 9.444964",
"Saka_Tian_Shan: DA53: 14.664605",
"Saka_Tian_Shan: DA51: 16.562142",
"Saka_Tian_Shan: DA58: 16.978126",
"Saka_Tian_Shan: DA47: 18.869046",
"Scythian_Zevakino_Chilikta_IA:IS2: 18.927020",
"Saka_Tian_Shan : DA57: 19.496164",
"Saka_Tian_Shan : DA49: 19.899843",
"Saka_Tian_Shan : DA55: 20.881769",
"Scythian_Aldy_Bel_IA:I0577: 21.712406",
"Saka_Tian_Shan: DA50: 25.256786",
"Saka_Kazakh_steppe: DA14: 26.310504",
"Saka_Kazakh_steppe: DA10: 26.636052",
"Saka_Kazakh_steppe: DA13: 26.816621",
"Saka_Kazakh_steppe: DA16: 27.253731",
"Saka_Kazakh_steppe: DA11: 27.434019",
"Saka_Kazakh_steppe: DA15: 30.180391",
"Scythian_Zevakino_Chilikta_IA:Ze6b: 32.689476",
"Scythian_Aldy_Bel_IA:I0576: 34.119240"

Yep, the Scythians in eastern Europe appear to be overwhelmingly European-like with a bit of Central Asian admixture. However they may not originate from the same as the specific Europeans in the area they inhabited, for example Scythians in Moldova seem to be closer to Italians than Moldovans.

[Nurzat]

Norway and South Italy aren't relevant proxies for Scythians I think but it's anyway interesting that I get this - it means Moldovan Scythians were quite Neolithic and it's most probably because they mixed into the local post-Neolithic Cucuteni-Tripolie-like remnants?:

"sample": "Scythian_MDA:Average",
"fit": 2.0937,
"Greek": 93.33,
"Belarusian": 3.33,
"Mongolian": 3.33,
"Georgian_Imer": 0,


"sample": "Scythian_MDA:Average",
"fit": 1.7879,
"Greek": 85.83,
"Swedish": 10.83,
"Mongolian": 3.33,
"Ukrainian": 0,

[Borealis]

Norway and South Italy aren't relevant proxies for Scythians I think but it's anyway interesting that I get this - it means Moldovan Scythians were quite Neolithic and it's most probably because they mixed into the local post-Neolithic Cucuteni-Tripolie-like remnants?:

"sample": "Scythian_MDA:Average",
"fit": 2.0937,
"Greek": 93.33,
"Belarusian": 3.33,
"Mongolian": 3.33,
"Georgian_Imer": 0,

Nah, I wasn't trying to model them with those that they may be directly descended from but rather just give an idea of what they're like. So Norwegian=north Europe proxy, Italian=South europe proxy. So you can tell which ones lean toward north europe or south europe, how much to central asia(tajik), east asia(mongola), or Siberia(Udmurt).

[Daco Celtic]

You can do a similar thing with the different Bell Beaker samples on the nMonte. They also seem to have some genetic diversity.

"fit": 1.6209,
"Bell_Beaker_CZE": 53.33,
"Bell_Beaker_Bavaria": 35,
"Bell_Beaker_England": 4.17,
"Bell_Beaker_FRA": 2.5,
"Bell_Beaker_ITA": 2.5,
"Bell_Beaker_HUN": 0.83,
"Bell_Beaker_NLD": 0.83,
"Bell_Beaker_Scotland": 0.83,
"Bell_Beaker_CHE": 0,
"Bell_Beaker_Iberia": 0,
"Bell_Beaker_POL": 0,
"Bell_Beaker_Rhine-Main": 0,

[Nurzat]

Nah, I wasn't trying to model them with those that they may be directly descended from but rather just give an idea of what they're like. So Norwegian=north Europe proxy, Italian=South europe proxy. So you can tell which ones lean toward north europe or south europe, how much to central asia(tajik), east asia(mongola), or Siberia(Udmurt).

that's strange nevertheless - for example I live in their territory and I get this result below - so the region seems to be more northern-shifted today than back then? also, Balkan Slavs seem to be closer to Scythian Ukraine than to Scythian Moldova.

"sample": "Custom:Nurzat",
"fit": 4.0864,
"Norwegian": 67.5,
"Italian_South": 24.17,
"Armenian": 6.67,
"Mongolian": 1.67,
"closestDistances": [

Spoiler!

"Norwegian:NOR101: 6.640181",
"Norwegian:NOR107: 6.793209",
"Norwegian:NOR106: 6.884820",
"Norwegian:NOR109: 6.964069",
"Norwegian:NOR108: 7.043357",
"Norwegian:NOR152: 7.430917",
"Norwegian:NOR150: 7.592313",
"Italian_South:ITS7: 9.085030",
"Italian_South:ITS2: 9.747251",
"Italian_South:BEL57: 10.325372",
"Italian_South:ITS4: 10.626359",

[Borealis]

that's strange nevertheless - for example I live in their territory and I get this result below - so the region seems to be more northern-shifted today than back then? also, Balkan Slavs seem to be closer to Scythian Ukraine than to Scythian Moldova.

"sample": "Custom:Nurzat",
"fit": 4.0864,
"Norwegian": 67.5,
"Italian_South": 24.17,
"Armenian": 6.67,
"Mongolian": 1.67,
"closestDistances": [

Spoiler!

"Norwegian:NOR101: 6.640181",
"Norwegian:NOR107: 6.793209",
"Norwegian:NOR106: 6.884820",
"Norwegian:NOR109: 6.964069",
"Norwegian:NOR108: 7.043357",
"Norwegian:NOR152: 7.430917",
"Norwegian:NOR150: 7.592313",
"Italian_South:ITS7: 9.085030",
"Italian_South:ITS2: 9.747251",
"Italian_South:BEL57: 10.325372",
"Italian_South:ITS4: 10.626359",

Yes pretty much. Those in Ukraine seem more northern shifted.