Early Medieval Genetic Data from Ural Region Evaluated in the Light of Archaeological Evidence of Ancient Hungarians

The ancient Hungarians originated from the Ural region of Russia, and migrated through the Middle-Volga region and the Eastern European steppe into the Carpathian Basin during the 9th century AD. Their Homeland was probably in the southern Trans-Ural region, where the Kushnarenkovo culture disseminated. In the Cis-Ural region Lomovatovo and Nevolino cultures are archaeologically related to ancient Hungarians. In this study we describe maternal and paternal lineages of 36 individuals from these regions and nine Hungarian Conquest period individuals from today’s Hungary, as well as shallow shotgun genome data from the Trans-Uralic Uyelgi cemetery. We point out the genetic continuity between the three chronological horizons of Uyelgi cemetery, which was a burial place of a rather endogamous population. Using phylogenetic and population genetic analyses we demonstrate the genetic connection between Trans-, Cis-Ural and the Carpathian Basin on various levels. The analyses of this new Uralic dataset fill a gap of population genetic research of Eurasia, and reshape the conclusions previously drawn from 10-11th century ancient mitogenomes and Y-chromosomes from Hungary

Belt Plates from the Pitersky (Stepanovo Plotbishche) Burial Ground

Over 600 bronze belt plates found during excavations on the medieval Pitersk (Stepanovo Plotbishche) burial ground site are for the first time introduced into scientific circulation with their description and classification provided. The resource is located on the right bank of the Kama water reservoir and is exposed to flooding and destruction. In 1997-1999 and 2001, 21 inhumation rite burials and one sacrificial complex were studied and surface finds collected. Judging by the burial rite and the artifact nature, this archaeological complex can be dated to the 9th-11th centuries