Genetic research of Svan population (north-east Georgia, Caucasus)

What is it about?

In this collaborative project, we conducted a detailed genetic and ethnographic study of populations, particularly Svans, living in Georgia to elucidate their origins and affinities with European, Middle Eastern and Central Asian groups, and examine the relationship between genetic and identity formation in contemporary villages from this region

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Why is it important?

To better elucidate the genetic history of Georgian populations and that of the greater Caucasus region, we undertook a long-term study of genetic variation in all regions of the country. A number of unique ethnic groups live in most of these regions, and we surveyed them for patterns of mtDNA and Y-chromosome diversity. An understanding of their maternal and paternal lineages, viewed through a phylogeographic perspective, allowed us to reconstruct the trends of movements of human groups into and out of this region for the past thousand years, and also began elucidating the histories of the ethnic groups themselves. A comprehensive study of genetic variation in Georgia, in conjunction with other published work on populations in the Caucasus, Anatolia, the Near East, and Russia, has the potential to make significant contributions to our understanding of several important historical and anthropological questions:

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