Mummies from Zelyoniy Yar are locals. Scientists identified the owners of the medieval necropolis

A researcher of the sector of archaeology at the center for study of the Arctic, the head of the complex archaeological research at the medieval necropolis of Zelyoniy Yar Alexander Gusev became the co-author of the article in the cited scientific magazine PLOS ONE. The article prepared by Russian and South Korean scientists is devoted to the results of the study of mummified remains of three grownups and one child found on the monument from 2013 to 2016. Specialists of Seoul National University managed to extract mitochondrial DNA, which showed that the necropolis had belonged to indigenous peoples of the North of Western Siberia.

Mitochondrial DNA is inherited from mother to child. Analysis of the received genetic material showed that the people buried on the monument belonged to haplogroups (U5a, H3ao, D, U4b1b1, D4j8) typical for indigenous peoples of the North of Western Siberia. The scientists draw conclusions that the mummified remains belong to local, but not to newly-arrived population, the scientific center for study of the Arctic informs.

As it should be reminded, the medieval necropolis near the settlement Zelyoniy Yar was discovered in 1997. It consists of three monuments: the bronze-casting workshop of VI – VII centuries AD, the burial ground of VIII – IX centuries and the burial ground of XIII century. 35 burials were opened during 1999 — 2002. The mummified remains of one grownup male and four children aged 1-2 and 6-7 years old were found for the first time.

Since 2013 the scientific center for study of the Arctic has been conducting comprehensive archaeological research on the monument. The scientists opened 53 graves. The mummified remains were registered in two grownup (one has only a head preserved) and two children’s burials. Now they are in the Institute of the problems of the Northern development at Tyumen scientific center, SB RAS, where necessary conditions for their storage are created. Genetic research is conducted by scientists of the Institute of molecular genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Seoul University (South Korea).