The genes of the steppes: where the Sarmatians came from and where they disappeared to

A new genetic study published in the journal Cell has for the first time traced their origins, migrations and genetic heritage in detail.

The team, led by Dr Oskar Schütz, analysed 156 ancient genomes from the Sarmatian period (1st to 5th centuries AD) to establish where these peoples came from and how they interacted with other tribes, from the Urals to the Carpathians.

According to the results, the Sarmatians originated from areas in the southern Urals and modern-day Kazakhstan. Around the 2nd and 1st centuries BC they started moving westwards - through the Black Sea region, Don and Volga - and by the 1st century AD they reached the Carpathian basin and the Lower Danube. Here, in what is now Hungary and Romania, the Sarmatians settled on the vast plains and became one of the major military forces of the region.

They fought and formed alliances with the Germanic tribes - the Marcomanni, Vandals and Quads - and also fought against Rome. Some historians even suggest that Sarmatian warriors may have been the inspiration for the legend of King Arthur's Knights.

Today, however, the Sarmatians are considered a "forgotten people" - no modern nation calls them their ancestors.

Research has shown that the Sarmatians of the Carpathian Basin originated from steppe groups, but over time their "steppe" genetic component gradually diminished. Scientists explain this by the "founder" effect - the migration was mainly male: male nomads came from the east, married local women and passed on the paternal genetic signature to their descendants.

Y-chromosome analysis revealed a sudden spread of the R1a haplogroup characteristic of steppe peoples, while mitochondrial DNA pointed to the European origin of the mothers.

Interestingly, archaeological finds show the predominance of female burials in early Sarmatian necropolises - this may be due to social or ritual features of the Sarmatian culture.

Scientists have confirmed the existence of two independent migration waves: one from north-west Europe and the other from the eastern steppes. Later, in the 4th century AD, inhabitants of Roman provinces began to move into the region, which led to the formation of a genetically mixed population on the basis of which the medieval Hungarians later emerged.

Despite the invasion of the Huns, the Sarmatian population did not disappear. Genetic continuity can be traced even during the Hun rule, and according to written sources, the Sarmatians retained political independence until the 470s, when they finally became part of the Gepidian state.

According to Dr Schütz, the Sarmatians did not leave a strong cultural heritage because they probably did not represent a unified people. Their culture was superseded by the influence of the Huns and later peoples, and the image created by Roman authors was too generalised and biased.

The scientists plan to continue their work to determine more precisely which local tribes - Celts, Goths or Daco-Fracians - contributed to the mixed origins of the Sarmatians.

"We now realise that the Sarmatians were more than just nomads," Schütz notes, "They were a people who played an important role in shaping the ethnic and cultural mosaic of Europe.