I’d run across this study, published in Nature, earlier in the week and hadn’t had a chance to post on it. Here’s the abstract:
Fine-scale genetic variation between human populations is interesting as a signature of historical demographic events and because of its potential for confounding disease studies. We use haplotype-based statistical methods to analyse genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data from a carefully chosen geographically diverse sample of 2,039 individuals from the United Kingdom. This reveals a rich and detailed pattern of genetic differentiation with remarkable concordance between genetic clusters and geography. The regional genetic differentiation and differing patterns of shared ancestry with 6,209 individuals from across Europe carry clear signals of historical demographic events. We estimate the genetic contribution to southeastern England from Anglo-Saxon migrations to be under half, and identify the regions not carrying genetic material from these migrations. We suggest significant pre-Roman but post-Mesolithic movement into southeastern England from continental Europe, and show that in non-Saxon parts of the United Kingdom, there exist genetically differentiated subgroups rather than a general ‘Celtic’ population.
I’ve mentioned it before but my maternal line and, consequently, my mitochondrial DNA derives from Ireland and I find the map from the study (above) very interesting. I ran the genetic testing information I’ve obtained through a more sophisticated analysis than provided by my testing company and it determined that my mtDNA haplogroup is J1c3g. That particular mtDNA haplogroup is pretty common in northwestern Europe and Russia. Most Americans don’t know it but the Norsemen travelled long distances up Russia’s rivers and were very influential in ancient Russia. The very first Russian kingdom, known as “Rus”, was founded by Norsemen. It’s my understanding that about 80% of the Norse are J1c3g. And that haplogroup occurs in Ireland as well. I may even break down and buy the study.
One of the things all of the genetic testing that’s going on now has done was called into question some long-held ideas about history. You only inherit your mitochondrial DNA from your mother who got it from her mother, who got it from her mother, etc. A reasonable rule of thumb is that a particular subgroup probably originated where the highest proportion of the population has it so that suggests that J1c3g originated in Norway. If the Norsemen were just raiders, what’s a Norse mtDNA haplogroup doing in Ireland and Russia? Perhaps the Norsemen were settlers rather than just raiders.
I suspect that as these maps become available for more parts of the world prehistory will be re-written (so to speak).
I’ve been reading this study, particularly the supplement and commenting at Razib Khan’s site and elsewhere on it.
The Viking issue was one that stood out. They can identify the relationship between Norway (particularly West Norway) to the Orkneys, but they are not picking-up Viking genetic contributions in the Danelaw. They recognize a difficulty in differentiating Danish Anglo-Saxons and Danish Vikings, but they see nothing to differentiate the population of that region and say Southern England where Viking settlements are not attested.
There may be an issue because the study didn’t look at Ireland. The Vikings settled or conquered the Dublin region, as well as the Isle of Man, but perhaps their engagement with the rest of the Irish Sea coast was more limited?
. . . Yeah, there does not appear to much evidence of Viking settlement outside of Dublin, Wexford, Waterford and Limerick. Still, the study found Norwegian contributions in Northern Ireland/Western Scotland, declining as one goes South. I would not be surprised if they mapped Ireland, that the contributions increase along the coast.
Meant to write earlier, the blog comments seem most concerted about the apparent lack of unity in the various Celtic fringe areas.
Two things that stood out to me was that the Saxon contribution to the English genetic structure is dated to about 200 years after they were known to have arrived. This supports a theory that Anglo-Saxon domination was in part supported by post-conquest advantages, they took all of the good stuff that improves reproductive advantage, and limited mating with the natives.
The other is that parts of Wales shared 5-7 percent ancestry with Central France / Eastern Spain, a result not found anywhere else. For reasons unclear they did not make a comparison with the Basque region so that we could have a better idea of the degree of connection between areas bordering the Irish Sea and the Atlantic coast regions to the South.
Very interesting, thanks for posting this. I just bought and skimmed the article – will do an in-depth read later. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to list the specific haplogroups used, but that’s probably in the references.
My paternal DNA is L513 which is focused in Ireland and Scotland, and my maternal DNA is T2a1, which is Eastern European. I was adopted, so my genetic history is of particular interest to me.
I suspect that one of the sources of confusion about the “lack of unity in the various Celtic fringe areas” is that in the ancient world the distinction among nations was a linguistic one rather than an ethnic one. If you spoke Greek, you were a Greek. If you spoke Aramaic, you were a Syrian.
Distinctions between Picts and Scots, for example, almost certainly mean that they spoke decidedly different languages. I’m thinking that either the Picts spoke a non-Celtic language or they spoke a Brittonic language rather than a Goidelic one.
The part that I found interesting in what I’ve read is the observations about Cornwall. For some time there has been a discussion about whether Cornwall was settled from the Continent or Brittany was settled from Britain. The prevailing belief right now seems to be that it’s a “chicken or the egg” question and that there have been multiple settlement events in both directions.
This study seems to support a very different possible history.
BTW, there’s something I’ve discovered that I’m just dying to share but I wanted to bury it in comments where it wouldn’t be found as easily. Michael and I share the same Y-DNA haplogroup and it’s not a particularly common one.
@Andy, I don’t think they made or intend to make that type of data available. There are grumblings.
PD,
Yeah, it looks that way, which is unfortunate.
Dave,
That’s pretty cool – you and Michael both have a gift for language, so I’m not particularly shocked. How deep doe the link go?
@Dave, if the Picts spoke a distinct language from their neighbors for a considerable time, and I think they probably did, it seems conceivable that they would have developed a different genetic group than the Scots, depending on how fine you want to scale things. I assume a lot of the “Celtic” fringe divisions are the results of terrain and ocean currents that are not as obvious today. But the sense I’ve gotten is that isolating the “Celtic” fringe from each other has unpleasant or pleasant nationalistic overtones depending on where one stands.
PD,
That may get resolved over time. My phylogenetic tree was unknown just five years ago and now it’s populated with over 100 subclades.
We’re both members of the same sub-etc.-clade of the R1b1b2 subclade which is the commonest Western European haplogroup. How close? at least six more branches down.
What testing companies have you guys used?
CStanley,
I started out with National Geographic’s GENO 2.0 test. I’ve since ordered additional tests from FTDNA (www.familytreedna.com/) which aren’t cheap, but are pretty comprehensive.
23andMe.com
Thanks. Those three are the companies I’ve been considering. The websites don’t have much information to allow comparisons: how many markers they test for, do you get the raw data, do they store your DNA, how big is their database and can you also plug it into other databases, etc.
I’m interested in health information as well as genealogy, so I’m leaning toward 23andme. Not sure if that really makes sense or not, and I’m not sure if the data that I’d get would allow me to know certain health risks right away, even though they aren’t currently able to do those analyses. Among other things, I’m interested in the MTHFR polymorphisms and not sure if I’d be able to get any information on that.
I have not used any of these services, but my understanding is that you want one that provides you with your own raw uninterpreted data, which not all of them do.
You can download your raw data from 23andMe.com, many external programs accept 23andMe.com data, and there are downloadable utilities around that translate from 23andMe.com format into other formats. I’ve used them. They’re a bit clumsy but they seem to work.
Enjoyed your comment about the origins of J1c3g.
This is my wife’s DNA, and I had concluded it probably originated in Norway, although as far as she knows she is of English descent.
http://ruyledna.blogspot.com
The Vikings (Norsemen) were slave traders and captured slaves from Russia, down as far as Constantinople and also Ireland. They traded them Europe and Asia wide in return for goods.
I am J1c3g also…hi! People always ccx ask me if I am Russian. Lol. Might be why 🙂
Janet