Ancient genomic analysis of a Chinese hereditary elite from the Northern and Southern Dynasties

Yao Yu; Xiaomin Yang; Daiyun Liu; Panxin Du; Hailiang Meng; Zixiao Huang; Jianxue Xiong; Yi Ding; Xiaoying Ren; Edward Allen; Hui Wang; Sheng Han; Li Jin; Chuan-Chao Wang; Shaoqing Wen

doi:10.1016/j.jgg.2024.07.009

Volume 52 Issue 4

Apr. 2025

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Ancient genomic analysis of a Chinese hereditary elite from the Northern and Southern Dynasties

doi: 10.1016/j.jgg.2024.07.009

a. Institute of Archaeological Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China;
b. Department of History, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China;
c. Department of Anthropology and Ethnology, Institute of Anthropology, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Philosophy and Social Sciences in Bioanthropology, School of Sociology and Anthropology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China;
d. Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710054, China;
e. Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China;
f. State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, and Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China;
g. Center for the Belt and Road Archaeology and Ancient Civilizations, Shanghai 200433, China;
h. State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China;
i. State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China;
j. Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China;
k. MOE Laboratory for National Development and Intelligent Governance, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China

Funds:

The work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32070576, 31801040, and 32270667), Lantai Young Scholars Program of Chinese History Institute (2022LTQN602), the National Social Science Fund of China (19VJX074 and 21CKG022), Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences: Pan-Third Pole Environment Study for a Green Silk Road (Pan-TPE) (XDA2004010101), the National Key Research and Development Program (2023YFC3303701-02), the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province of China (2023J06013), the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (18490750300), the National Key Research and Development Program (2020YFE0201600), Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Major Project (2017SHZDZX01), the Major Project of National Social Science Foundation of China granted to C.C.W. (21&ZD285), S.W. (20&ZD212), and D.L. (21&ZD237), Major Special Project of Philosophy and Social Sciences Research of the Ministry of Education (2022JZDZ023), Open Research Fund of State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering at Fudan University (SKLGE-2310), Open Research Fund of Forensic Genetics Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Public Security (2023FGKFKT07), and European Research Council (ERC) grant (ERC-2019-ADG-883700-TRAM).

Received Date: 2023-12-05
Accepted Date: 2024-07-04
Rev Recd Date: 2024-07-01

Available Online: 2025-07-11

Publish Date: 2024-07-14

Abstract

Abstract

China's Northern and Southern Dynasties period (3rd–6th centuries AD) marked a significant era of ethnic integration in northern China. However, previous ancient DNA studies have primarily focused on northern ethnic groups, with limited research on the genetic formation of the hereditary elite family, especially considering their abundant archaeological record and clear material identity. In this study, we obtain the ancient genome of a hereditary elite family, Gao Bin (高宾, 503 AD–572 AD), at 0.6473-fold coverage with 475,132 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on the 1240k panel. His mitochondrial haplogroup belongs to Z4 and Y-haplogroup to O1a1a2b-F2444*. The genetic profile of Gao Bin is most similar to that of the northern Han Chinese. He can be modeled as deriving all his ancestry from Late Neolithic to Iron Age Yellow River farmers without influence from Northeast Asia, Korea, or the Mongolian Plateau. Our study sheds light on the genetic formation of hereditary elite families in the context of the Southern and Northern Dynasties ethnic integration.
- Ancient DNA,
- Hereditary elite,
- Population admixture,
- Bohai Gao Branch,
- Korean Goguryeo origin

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