Who we are and where we come from
In our opinion, a person of the future should clearly know about his past and his roots. He should know exactly who he is and where he came from, who his ancestors were. To know, remember and honor the heritage of his forebears and their precepts. To know his ancient history, to know about his past victories and accomplishments – and to be proud of them. But it is also important to know about the past mistakes and defeats – so as not to repeat them in the future.
Many peoples of Russia have made a serious contribution to the formation of a single cultural community and the creation of a powerful state. However, of primary importance in these matters is the Russian people. The people who united, protected and ennobled vast areas.
So, Indo-Europeans, Russians – who we are and from where ?
Russians are almost a monolithic people from a genetic point of view. Thus, the myth that “all mixed up, there are no Russians anymore” is completely untenable. Just exactly the opposite – Russians were and Russians are. The uniform people, uniform nation, monolithic nationality – with clearly expressed special genotype.
Russians, as geneticists have proved – not aliens, and absolutely autochthonous inhabitants of Central Russia where Russians lived from time immemorial. Thus, that these grounds were inhabited even before last glaciation of our planet about 20 thousand years ago. Our ancestors (ancient Russians, proto-Slavs) – originally lived on practically all territory of modern Russia, including Siberia, and quite possibly and Far East. (On the basis of the report of geneticist Oleg Balanovsky).
DNA - Genealogy, Y-chromosome haplogroups
The essence of DNA Genealogy. The peculiarity of the Y-chromosome is that it is transmitted from father to son virtually unchanged and does not experience “mixing” and “dilution” by maternal heredity. This allows it to be used as a mathematically accurate tool for determining paternal ancestry. Moreover, it allows to trace this heredity in depth of millennia.
The basic hereditary groups of modern Russians are four basic genera, R1a (Aryans, 51%), N1a1 (Finno-Ugrians, 14%) and I2a (Danube Slavs, 12%), R1b (Western Europeans 6%).
Thus Haplogroup Y-chromosome R1a is fundamental.
It should be noted that ancestors of Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians (and also Poles) from the most ancient times went together. It is – on origin – one and the same people. And its haplogroup composition is the same, with small variations.
red – ancient distribution of haplogroup R
blue – modern largest percentage of population distribution R
It should be noted that R1a representatives are the indigenous population not only of Central and Eastern Europe, but also of the entire territory of Siberia.
Moreover, representatives of R1a have always lived here for the last 25 thousand years.
At the same time, representatives of Finno-Ugric and Asian clans came to these territories relatively recently.
1. Starting point. The first Caucasoid.
Prehistory – The emergence of Homo sapiens on the planet
According to the results of numerous studies, the world scientific community has recognized the Upper Paleolithic settlement of Kostyonki (Voronezh region) as the oldest site of Neoanthropus (man of modern type, Caucasoid). The approximate age of the settlement is 50 thousand years.
As it turned out, the ancient man found near Voronezh belongs by his genetic code to the mtDNA haplogroup Y2, which is very rare among the modern population of the Earth, although in Europe it is represented more significantly than in other parts of the world.
According to the newest researches, about 30 thousand years ago in Europe came a new wave of settlers of the European type, belonging to another haplogroup of mtDNA – H. It is this group that now makes up the main part of the population of modern Europe.
In Western and Central Europe, rare single stands of Neoanthropus of the first wave of settlement can be traced only from the 28th millennium BC (Orignac, France; Pavlovo, Czech Republic). After the onset of the glacier (peak 26,000 years ago), the presence of Neoanthropus in these areas can no longer be traced. Paleoanthropes (Neanderthals) of different species were widespread in Africa and Asia at this time. Neoanthropes of the second wave settled there only in the 7th-5th millennia BC.
These data are fully confirmed by the data of linguistics. The formation of a single language of modern man, according to the calculations of linguists, occurred not earlier than 50 thousand years ago, and its differentiation into several macrofamilies occurred around the 7th millennium BC. And at the same time, no kinship with African languages none of the currently existing languages is not found at all.
This completely refutes the theory about the African ancestry of man, at least for the representatives of the European race.
The first representative of haplogroup P1.
The Yanskaya site (Arctic Ocean shore) is the northernmost Paleolithic site of modern-type man in the Arctic (Yakutia) after Buor-Khai/Orto-Stan, dating back 32,500 years. Stone, bone and tusk tools, utensils and symbolic products (jewelry, art objects) were found at the site. The art of the Yanskaya site has deep roots going back to the common cultural basis of the Upper Paleolithic of Eurasia. Also two fragmented milk teeth (Yana 1 and Yana 2, age ~31.6 thousand years ago) were found here, Y-chromosomal haplogroup P1 and mitochondrial haplogroup U2 were determined. We should add that the population of Ancient North Siberians (ANS), represented by the inhabitants of the Yanskaya site, departed ~38 thousand years ago from the Western Eurasians.
Further, according to modern genetics, approximately 30 thousand years ago haplogroup P split into haplogroups R and Q.
2. The first representative of the genus R
The earliest starting point discovered by archaeologists is Malta, a site of ancient man from the late Paleolithic era. Irkutsk region, Malta village, on the Belaya River, 150 km. from Lake Baikal. Here, in particular, the burial of a 4-year-old boy was found and his genetic analysis was carried out. According to the results of the analysis it was established – Caucasoid type, time of life 24 423 – 23 891 years ago, haplogroup Y-chromosome R, the first discovered ancestor of haplogroups R1a and R1b. Read more : Paleolithic Malta site.
Around this period there is a division of haplogroup R into R1 and R2. And later, 22,800 years ago (dates determined by YFull snips), haplogroup R1 splits into R1a (Aryans) and R1b (Western Europeans).
3. The first representative of the genus R1a
The oldest known R1a haplogroups are found in the following specimens (age about 10,800 years) from the Mesolithic era:
- Subclade R1a1b~ -YP1272 > YP1301 was determined in a representative of the Veretje culture from the burial site Peschanitsa 1 (10,785 – 10,626 years ago) on Lake Lacha, Kargopolsky district, south of the Arkhangelsk region.
- Subclade R1a-M420 > R1a1-M459 > M459 was identified in Mesolithic specimen I1819 (10,825 – 10,561 years ago) on the Dnieper River, Vasilevka-on-Dnieper village, Dnepropetrovsk region.
- Subclade R1a1-SRY10831.2 was identified in Mesolithic specimen UZOO-74 (ca. 8,000 years ago) Onega Lake, from South Deer Island, south of the Republic of Karelia.
- Subclade R1a1-M17 was identified in a representative of the Glazkovsky necropolis of the Neolithic era (8000-7000 years ago) on the Angara River, south of the Irkutsk region.
4. Settlement in Eurasia
Indo-European settlement in 6-4 millennia BC (there is a small inaccuracy in the map, West Anatolian and Yarmuk are more related to R1b).
Indo-European settlement in the 4th-2nd millennia BC.
Bronze Age. Proto-Indo-Europeans.
R1a was the dominant haplogroup among the northern and eastern Proto-Indo-European tribes that evolved into the Indo-Iranian, Thracian, Baltic and Slavic peoples. Proto-Indo-Europeans emerged in the Yamnaya culture (3,300 – 2,500 BC). Their dramatic expansion was made possible by the early development of bronze weapons and the domestication of the horse in the Eurasian steppes (ca. 4,000 – 3,500 BC).
The first expansion of forest-steppe R1a peoples occurred with the culture of cord pottery. The forest-steppe origin of this culture is evident from the use of cord pottery and the abundant use of polished battle axes, the two most characteristic features of the cord pottery culture.
Linguistics. It was probably at this time that the process of Satemization of Indo-European languages began, given that the Balto-Slavic and Indo-Iranian language groups belong to the same Satemic isoglossa and both appear to have developed from the Catacomb and Srubna cultures.
An analysis of ancient DNA has confirmed the presence of haplogroup R1a-M417 in samples from the Corded Pottery Culture in Germany (2600 BC), in Tocharian mummies (2000 BC) in Northwest China, in burial mounds (ca. 1600 BC) of the Andronovo culture in southern Russia and southern Siberia, and in various Iron Age monuments in Russia.
Indo-European settlement in the 2nd-1st millennium BC.
So, the ancient tribes and peoples with the predominance of haplogroup R1a: Aryans, Tokhars, Cimmerians, Thracians, Dacians, Scythians, Sarmatians, Varangians, Antes, Venetians, Sklavins, and also partially Vandals, Alans and Goths (the data on the last three are being clarified).
5. Cultural continuity
So, haplogroup R1a was found in the remains of representatives of the following cultures: Yamnaya culture, the culture of battle axes (the same cord ceramics), Fatyanovo culture, the culture of burial urn fields, Sintashti culture, Andronovo culture, Pazyryk culture, Tagar culture, Tashtyk culture, in the inhabitants of ancient Tanais (city), in Tarim mummies.
“…For four thousand years B.C., the Dnieper-Donets archaeological culture existed on the territory of southern Russia. Its bearers spoke an Indo-European language and possessed Nordic racial characteristics. In the second millennium it was replaced by the culture of battle axes or cord ceramics. Their successors were the Proto-Slavic Middle Dnieper and Fatyanovo cultures, as well as the Proto-Germanic culture of rook-shaped axes. All of them are anthropologically represented by the predominance of the Nordic racial type. In the third millennium, the Yamnaya culture emerged from the Dnieper-Donets culture, to which belonged the Aryan tribes that later left for the conquest of India and Persia.
The Aryans who remained in Eastern Europe, just in southern Russia, created in the second millennium BC the Catacomb culture and in the first millennium BC the Srubna culture, from which the Scythian civilization emerged. The eastern branch of the Yamnaya culture produced the Andronovo culture, which spread eastward to China, where tribes related to the Aryans took part in the creation of the first Chinese civilization Shang-Yin. All these cultures, from the point of view of anthropology are represented by carriers of Nordic and Kromanid race. During the great migration of peoples the Germans returned to the territory of southern Russia, where they created the Chernyakhovskaya culture, representatives of which belonged to the Germanic tribe of the Goths, subsequently part of the Goths went west to Italy and Spain, and part remained and took part in the ethnogenesis of the Russian people.” (Mikhail Diunov “Racial History of Russia”)
Distribution of R1a cultures and their continuity (version)
Yamnaya culture (3500 – 3000 BC) (Ukraine, Western Russia) Proto-Indo-Europeans
– eastward spread of the Afanasyevo culture (3000-2000 B.C.) (South Siberia, Altai, Mongolia, Northwest China) Tagarans, Scythians
– westward spread of the Battle Axe Culture (2900 B.C.) (Western, Central, Eastern Europe) Balts, Slavs, partly Germans.
– eastward spread of the Fatyanovo culture (3000 B.C.) (Central Russia) Aryans, Balts, Slavs
— spread to the Southeast Sintashta, Arkaim (2500 BC) (Southern Urals) Aryans
—- southward spread Andronovo (2300 BC) (Central Asia) Aryans, Tokhars
—– eastward spread, Tokhars (Northwest China) 1800 B.C.
—– spread to the South, Southwest – Proto-Iranians (Iran) 2000 B.C. Aryans
—– spread to the South, South-East – Indo-Iranians (India) 1800 B.C. Aryans
6. Linguistics
An important cultural component of any nation is its language. Let’s take a closer look at this issue as well.
To date, there are more than 40 major language families on the planet.
The Russian language is part of the Indo-European language family.
Indo-European language family.
The Indo-European language family has the Isoglossa kentum – satem (the boundary that separates the two large areas of this language family).
In general, this family is subdivided into 10 branches, which break down into 30 language groups. In turn, these groups include 437 languages.
1) The Satem languages include :
1. the Aryan branch (Nuristani, Indo-Aryan, Dardic, Iranian groups).
2. the Balto-Slavic branch (Baltic : Latvians, Lithuanians, Slavic groups : Western, Eastern, Southern)
3. Paleo-Balkan branch (Albanian group).
2) Kentum languages include :
4. Germanic (West Germanic, Scandinavian)
5. Italian (Romance group)
6. Celtic (Brittonic, Goidelic languages)
7. Greek-Armenian branch (Greek and Armenian groups)
3) Dead languages:
Paleobalkan (Thraco-Dacian, Illyrian groups); Germanic (East Germanic group: Gothic, Vandalic, Gerulic, etc.); Italic (Latin, Umbrian); Venetian; Anatolian (Hittite, Luwian, Lydian, Trojan – were common in Asia Minor); Tocharian (Karashar and Kuchan – known from manuscripts of the fifth to seventh centuries, found during excavations in Chinese Turkestan in the 20th century).
Note that the division of Indo-European language groups into Kentum-Satem is correlated with the distribution of haplogroup R1. The spread of Satem languages is associated with haplogroup R1a, and the spread of Kentum languages is associated with haplogroup R1b.
Interesting fact, according to the modern linguistic analysis – the primary Germanic language developed as a mixture of proto-Balto-Slavic languages of the culture of cord ceramics (R1a1a1b1-Z283) and later Unetic culture, people of this culture were hybrid carriers of R1a/R1b.
That is – the ancestors of the Balto-Slavs were the progenitors of the Germanic culture. And not vice versa, as we were convinced for the last 300 years in every history textbook.
Evolution of Indo-European languages on the example of the numeral hundred (version)
7. The main features characteristic of all ancient Indo-European peoples of haplogroup R1.
It should be noted that the representatives of haplogroup R1 were seriously different from the rest of the population of the planet of ancient times.
Genetics and anthropology.
1. white skin tone and light hair. Afontova Gora 3 (AG3) site near Krasnoyarsk (17-18 thousand years ago), an ancient individual of northern Europeans, haplogroup R1, was found. Genetic studies showed the presence of his allele rs12821256. This allele is associated with light hair and light skin in Europeans, which makes him the earliest person with such hair color.
2. Light-colored eyes. Scientists hypothesize that originally, proto Indo-Europeans had brown eyes like all other ancient humans. However, later, light shades appeared. Note that the common among Europeans blue eye color, is associated with a mutation of the gene HERC2. Initially it was assumed that this mutation had one ancestor who lived about 10 thousand years ago in southern Russia (a later study gives the age of 14-13 thousand years ago, the Caucasus region). However, the last researches speak about at least three different progenitors of this genetic feature. And one of them lived about 42 thousand years ago, somewhere in the north of Mesopotamia. (“Skin color and vitamin D: An update”). Where the first cities on the planet later appeared (particularly the city of Eridu).
3. Height from 180 cm and above. Excavation of two burial mounds, Šajkaški district, autonomous region of Vojvodina, Serbia. Inside the mounds were found burials 3000-2900 BC, as research has shown that these were representatives of R1, the height of these men exceeded 1.8 meters. And the average height of men who lived in this part of Europe at the turn of the third and fourth millennia BC was about 1.6 meters.
Culture and Society.
On the example of the Greeks-Dorians (ancestors of Sparta), let us note the main features that are also characteristic of all ancient Indo-European peoples (genus R1), from Western Europe to India and China, at the first stage of their settlement.
Strict military discipline, stable clan traditions, pride and simple way of life. They avoided luxury and excesses.
High level of culture. Presence of calendar and alphabet.
High level of science – astronomy, astrology, writing, metallurgy, construction, etc.
Dorians in everyday life kept the customs brought by them from the North, so in particular their characteristic difference from the Mediterranean peoples were mustaches and beards.
The presence of castles – citadels of the aristocracy, ruling over the settlements where free farmers lived.
Management was carried out by the king, who for advice called a meeting of noble people.
To solve the most important issues, the people’s assembly was gathered. In the people’s assembly we see a trace of the times of military democracy of ancient Aryans, elements of which existed for millennia and were known to us in Slavic veche and in Germanic tings.
Slaves were mostly captives captured in war. Slaves from prisoners of war were used mainly in the household, on the hardest works. Slavery had a patriarchal form, when slaves did not form a class, but were considered junior part-time members of the family, for long and diligent service they were often set free.
The sun and the fire worshippers. Cremation of the dead.
The main symbol is the swastika – a symbol of the Sun, luck, happiness, creation.
Myths and tales about the northern ancestral homeland and the golden age of mankind.
Male deities played the leading role. The gods of the Dorians had not chthonic (earthly) but celestial character, which was also a common phenomenon for the Aryans. It is interesting that all celestial, solar (solar) gods of Greeks are blondes, and chthonic gods (borrowed from the subjugated aborigines) are brunettes. Celestial gods of Greeks are shown in their mythology by fighters with chthonic evil – giants, snakes, various monsters.
Ancestors of R1a, presumably, were the first to invent the wheel (including the wheel with spokes), to construct the first wagons and war chariots, to tame the horse. They were among the first to master bronze and then iron metallurgy. In religious matters, R1a representatives are associated with the creation of three world religions: Hinduism, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism.
