Scientists reconstruct faces of Indus Valley people

[Indo-Aryan]

The U2 subclades are: U2a, U2b, U2c, U2d, and U2e. With the India-specific subclades U2a, U2b, and U2c collectively referred to as U2i, the Eurasian haplogroup U2d appears to be a sister clade with the Indian haplogroup U2c, while U2e is considered a European-specific subclade but also found in South India.

Haplogroup U2 has been found in the remains of a 37,000 and 30,000-year-old hunter-gatherer from the Kostyonki, Voronezh Oblast in Central-South European Russia., in 4800 to 4000-year-old human remains from a Beaker culture site of the Late Neolithic in Kromsdorf Germany, and in 2,000-year-old human remains from Bøgebjerggård in Southern Denmark. However, haplogroup U2 is rare in present-day Scandinavians. The remains of a 2,000-year-old West Eurasian male of haplogroup U2e1 was found in the Xiongnu Cemetery of Northeast Mongolia.

 

[Indo-Aryan]

First, of the 44 individuals with good-quality data we have from Gonur and Shahr-i-Sokhta, only 11 (25%) have this ancestry profile; it would be surprising to see this ancestry profile in the one individual we analyzed from Rakhigarhi if it was a migrant from regions where this ancestry profile was rare.

Second, of the three individuals at Shahr-i-Sokhta who have material culture linkages to Baluchistan in South Asia, all are IVC Cline outliers, specifically pointing to movement out of South Asia (Narasimhan et al., 2019).

Third, both the IVC Cline individuals and the Rakhigarhi individual have admixture from people related to present-day South Asians (ancestry deeply related to Andamanese hunter-gatherers) that is absent in the non-outlier Shahr-i-Sokhta samples and is also absent in Copper Age Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan (Narasimhan et al., 2019), implying gene flow from South Asia into Shahr-i-Sokhta and Gonur, whereas our modeling does not necessitate reverse gene flow. Based on these multiple lines of evidence, it is reasonable to conclude that individual I6113’s ancestry profile was widespread among people of the IVC at sites like Rakhigarhi, and it supports the conjecture (Narasimhan et al., 2019) that the 11 outlier individuals in the Indus Periphery Cline are migrants from the IVC living in non-IVC towns. We rename the genetic gradient represented in the combined set of 12 individuals the ‘‘IVC Cline’’ and then use higher-coverage individuals from this cline in lieu of I6113 to carry out fine-scale modeling of this ancestry profile.

 

[Indo-Aryan]

I6113 falls on the more Iranian-related end of the gradient, revealing that Iranian-related ancestry extended to the eastern geographic extreme of the IVC and was not restricted to individuals at its Iranian and Central Asian periphery. The estimated proportion of ancestry related to tribal groups in southern India in I6113 is smaller than in present-day groups, suggesting that since the time of the IVC there has been gene flow into the part of South Asia where Rakhigarhi lies from both the northwest (bringing more Steppe ancestry) and southeast (bringing more ancestry related to tribal groups in southern India). The genetic profile that we document in this individual, with large proportions of Iranian-related ancestry but no evidence of Steppe pastoralist-related ancestry, is no longer found in modern populations of South Asia or Iran, providing further validation that the data we obtained from this individual reflects authentic ancient DNA.

 

[Ikariyasan]

Haplogroup of Rakighari Lady has been identified as U2B2.

Haplogroup U is a human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup (mtDNA). The clade arose from haplogroup R, likely during the early Upper Paleolithic. Its various subclades (labelled U1–U9, diverging over the course of the Upper Paleolithic) are found widely distributed across Northern and Eastern Europe, Central, Western and South Asia, as well as North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and the Canary Islands.

The AASI ancestry in mostly maternally derived in South Asians, thus mitochondrial haplogroup distribution is dominated by 'local' haplogroups with haplogroup M likely being oldest.

 

[Indo-Aryan]

Harappan with Higher Iranian DNA
Languages Unknown

After IVC collapse

Harappa + AASI
South Indians with Higher AASI DNA
Languages Dravidian Family

Harappa + Steppe
North Indians with Higher Steppe DNA
Languages: Indo-Aryan

Did Harappans adopted the languages of AASI and Steppe as they mixed post 2000bce?

 

[Ikariyasan]

I6113 falls on the more Iranian-related end of the gradient, revealing that Iranian-related ancestry extended to the eastern geographic extreme of the IVC and was not restricted to individuals at its Iranian and Central Asian periphery. The estimated proportion of ancestry related to tribal groups in southern India in I6113 is smaller than in present-day groups, suggesting that since the time of the IVC there has been gene flow into the part of South Asia where Rakhigarhi lies from both the northwest (bringing more Steppe ancestry) and southeast (bringing more ancestry related to tribal groups in southern India). The genetic profile that we document in this individual, with large proportions of Iranian-related ancestry but no evidence of Steppe pastoralist-related ancestry, is no longer found in modern populations of South Asia or Iran, providing further validation that the data we obtained from this individual reflects authentic ancient DNA.

The AASI ancestry found in ancient samples (known so far) is significantly different from the one found in Southern Indian tribals. This is especially evident when they are plotted on those PCAs. Thus there are at least 2 different variants of AASI found in modern South Asians (infact we have 2 different simulated co ordinates for AASI- AASI South & AASI NW).

 

[Indo-Aryan]

The AASI ancestry found in ancient samples (known so far) is significantly different from the one found in Southern Indian tribals. This is especially evident when they are plotted on those PCAs. Thus there are at least 2 different variants of AASI found in modern South Asians (infact we have 2 different simulated co ordinates for AASI- AASI South & AASI NW).

Does that mean AASI-NW mixed with Iranian HG to form IVC which later mixed with AASI-South or something else?

 

[Ikariyasan]

Harappan with Higher Iranian DNA
Languages Unknown

After IVC collapse

Harappa + AASI
South Indians with Higher AASI DNA
Languages Dravidian Family

Harappa + Steppe
North Indians with Higher Steppe DNA
Languages: Indo-Aryan

Did Harappans adopted the languages of AASI and Steppe as they mixed post 2000bce?

My personal opinion is the language of AASI is likely lost forever. I used to things that language isolates like Nihali might represent those pre Dravidian, pre IA language but apparently it is some sort of secretive/thieves' language (sorry I don't have the right term for it).

 

[Indo-Aryan]

My personal opinion is the language of AASI is likely lost forever. I used to things that language isolates like Nihali might represent those pre Dravidian, pre IA language but apparently it is some sort of secretive/thieves' language (sorry I don't have the right term for it).

AND if I am understanding things correctly then AASI or Harappa pure can't be Afroasiatic either as they most probably came from South-East

Confused hehe

 

[Ikariyasan]

Does that mean AASI-NW mixed with Iranian HG to form IVC which later mixed with AASI-South or something else?

Yes most likely imo. In a large area such as Indian subcontinent it is likely that they hg population had some variations.
AASI ancestry can be detected as far as Iran (peaks around 5% LOL). Iran N itself is modeled with having around 10% aasi like/onge like or some yet to be discovered ENA (eastern non African) population.

 

[Ikariyasan]

AND if I am understanding things correctly then AASI or Harappa pure can't be Afroasiatic either as they most probably came from South-East

Confused hehe

They most likely were first humans of South Asia, descendents of one of the first (if not first ) waves of OOA (Out of Africa) waves.

 

[Ikariyasan]

The populations which ended up forming west Eurasians & those forming east Eurasians ended up quite early after mixing with Neanderthals . AASI is likely to be one those very early splitting and ancient east Eurasians.
The ancient population from Laos (Hoabinhian) surprisingly shows affinity with AASI and Onge , someone was saying that this is closest we have for AASI genome right now!

 

[Ikariyasan]

The populations which ended up forming west Eurasians & those forming east Eurasians ended up quite early after mixing with Neanderthals . AASI is likely to be one those very early splitting and ancient east Eurasians.
The ancient population from Laos (Hoabinhian) surprisingly shows affinity with AASI and Onge , someone was saying that this is closest we have for AASI genome right now!

*ended up separating quite early

 

[Indo-Aryan]

They most likely were first humans of South Asia, descendents of one of the first (if not first ) waves of OOA (Out of Africa) waves.

Who are you referring to here?

 

[Ikariyasan]

Who are you referring to here?

My bad I was not clear there. I meant AASI.

 

[Indo-Aryan]

Yes most likely imo. In a large area such as Indian subcontinent it is likely that they hg population had some variations.
AASI ancestry can be detected as far as Iran (peaks around 5% LOL). Iran N itself is modeled with having around 10% aasi like/onge like or some yet to be discovered ENA (eastern non African) population.

Yup. If I remember correctly Neolithic settlements have been found in :

North-Western
Southern
North Eastern
Eastern

Each with a distinct material culture. Some of these shifted to agriculture while others continued as long as 1000bce.

 

[Ikariyasan]

Yup. If I remember correctly Neolithic settlements have been found in :

North-Western
Southern
North Eastern
Eastern

Each with a distinct material culture. Some of these shifted to agriculture while others continued as long as 1000bce.

Yes I think.Unfortunately my understanding of eastern Eurasian genetic is quite poor. East Eurasian ancient dna studies have picked up pace fairly recently.

 

[Ikariyasan]

Yes I think.Unfortunately my understanding of eastern Eurasian genetic is quite poor. East Eurasian ancient dna studies have picked up pace fairly recently.

*genetic history.

 

[Indo-Aryan]

This is what was happening right next to Harappa. We need to find out who these people were. What language they spoke and how and what kind of interaction they had with Harappans.

It's not as if Harappans interacted with monolithic/homogenous population as they migrated eastward.

How these cultures evolved and ended. Do they have any role to play in historical phase post 600bce.

 

[Ikariyasan]

View attachment 117162

This is what was happening right next to Harappa. We need to find out who these people were. What language they spoke and how and what kind of interaction they had with Harappans.

It's not as if Harappans interacted with monolithic/homogenous population as they migrated eastward.

How these cultures evolved and ended. Do they have any role to play in historical phase post 600bce.

Wow! I am hearing about them for the first time! What were their genetic profiles like and what contribution do they have towards modern India (genetically & culturally)? - Only archeology & ancient DNA can conclusively answer that.