Long shared haplotypes identify the southern Urals as a primary source for the 10th-century Hungarians

AI interpretationAI-generated

Ancient DNA links 10th-century Hungarians to the southern Urals Karayakupovo horizon.

This study sequenced genome-wide ancient DNA from 131 individuals in the Ural region to find the source of the 10th-century Magyars. The results show that the Magyars are closely related to people of the early medieval Karayakupovo archaeological horizon, living on both sides of the southern Urals. These Karayakupovo ancestors had been in the broader Urals since the Late Iron Age, and their descendants stayed in the Volga-Kama region until at least the 14th century.

• The Magyars of the 10th-century Carpathian Basin are tightly linked to the Karayakupovo horizon of the southern Urals.
• Karayakupovo ancestors were established in the broader Urals by the Late Iron Age.
• Descendants of these populations persisted in the Volga-Kama region until at least the 14th century.

Sample interpretation

The dataset includes 127 site samples, with 83 Y-chromosome resolved. Major cultures are LowKama_Chiyalik (18), MidVolga_Novinki (13), 10th century Carpathian Basin (11), Belaya_PyanyBor (10), and Belaya_Chiyalik (9). Top Y haplogroups are N-Z1936 (6), N-VL92 (6), N-L1442 (5), N-L1034 (5), and R-SK2040 (4). Top mtDNA haplogroups are T1a1 (6), N1a1a1a1a (6), Z1a1a (6), A12a (5), and U5a1a1 (4).

For genealogy enthusiasts

For ancestry enthusiasts, this supports a southern Ural origin for the Magyars, highlighting the Karayakupovo horizon as a key source. It also shows genetic continuity in the Volga-Kama region, useful for tracing steppe ancestry.