Human DNA from the oldest Eneolithic cemetery in Nalchik points the spread of farming from the Caucasus to the Eastern European steppes
Journal: iScience
Year: 2024

The Darkveti-Meshoko culture (c.5000-3500/3300 BCE) is the earliest known farming community in the Northern Caucasus, but its contribution to the genetic profile of the neighboring steppe herders has remained unclear. We present analysis of human DNA from the Nalchik cemetery-the oldest Eneolithic site in the Northern Caucasus-which shows a link with the LowerVolga's first herders of the Khvalynsk culture. The Nalchik male genotype combines the genes of the Caucasus hunter-gatherers, the Eastern