Mitochondrial DNA analysis of horses recovered from a frozen tomb (Berel site, Kazakhstan, 3rd Century BC)
Résumé
Sequence polymorphism of the mitochondrial DNA D-loop was used to determine the
genetic diversity of horses recovered from a Scythian princely tomb dating from the
beginning of the 3rd century BC. Eight haplotypes were found among the 13 ancient horse
samples tested. Phylogenetical analysis showed that these ancient horse’s sequences, along
with two Yakut ones, were distributed throughout the tree defined by modern horses
sequences and are closely related to them. No clear geographical affiliation of the specimens
studied was thus determined. Our work, among others, supports the very ancient origin of
the matrilines in horses