Haplogroup Analysis for a Medieval Russian Burial оf 16th–17th Centures in Radonezh (Moscow Area)

Abstract

In this work, the authors report results of complete research of haplogroup testing for two medieval Russian burials from the Radonezh area near Serguiev Posad, Moscow region (Old Radonezh settlement, the Parish of Athanasius The Great). The excavations were made by the Sergiev Posad (former Zagorsk) State History and Art Museum-Preserve expedition, headed by Dr. V. I. VishnevskyThe time period is the 16th–17th centuries, the periods of Russian Czardom and the consequent Time of Troubles. The results are typically Central and Eastern European Slavic R1a-M458 Y-haplogroup subclade and H2a1 and H or JT mitochondrial haplogroups (typical for the Northern and Eastern Europe). This suggests the preliminary assumption, that f the populations of western Slavic regions can have a genetic affinity to the medieval population of the Moscow area. The area of continuity could include the Baltic area (one Slavic R1a-M458 from Usedom was published) or the Danube-Carpathian region (the region of earliest Slavic presence according to Russian chronicles and Bronze Age R1a presence). Mitochondrial DNA also show the Central European or Baltic affinities. The whole result show the relation of the buried people to Nothern and Central European poputations. To perform the genotyping process, the partially automated process was developed and the system was assembled as a unique complex containing the glove boxe that maintains high purity nitrogen, allowing DNA extraction in ultraclean conditions.