Reference library / Sample profile

A woman buried in Kazakhstan in the Iron Age era

Explore the recorded context, genetic comparisons and research behind this reference sample.

KazakhstanIron Age 2 Zevakino-Chilikta, Kazakhstan

A reference profile describes this sample. It does not establish a personal or family relationship.

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AI-generated artistic reconstruction, not a photograph of the individual.

Record

Sample details

Recorded details and available lineage markers.

Individual

IA Zevakino Chilikta-2 individual, Kazakhstan

Sample ID: Ze6b

Date Range

900 BCE - 600 BCE

Cultural Period

Iron Age 2 Zevakino-Chilikta, Kazakhstan

Biological Sex

Female

mtDNA Haplogroup

Y-DNA Haplogroup

Not available

Social Role

Pastoralist (AI estimate, era-typical)

Geography

Location

Where this individual was discovered

Country Kazakhstan

Locality Zevakino. East Kazakhstan

Coordinates 50.2000, 81.8167

Chronology

Date range

When this individual lived in the broader context of human history

IA Zevakino Chilikta-2 individual, Kazakhstan 900 BCE - 600 BCE

Context

Historical context

Background information associated with the reference record.

Region & Environment

Zevakino–Chilikta-associated communities lived within Kazakhstan’s steppe and steppe-edges, where open landscapes and seasonally shifting resources encouraged movement. River valleys and other ecological niches would have offered additional water and pasture, supporting seasonal rounds.

Historical Context

From the 9th to the 8th centuries BCE, steppe regions experienced intensified cultural interaction across Eurasia. The Zevakino–Chilikta horizon is placed within a Scythian–Saka complex framework, emphasizing shared material traditions and probable contacts among groups rather than a single centralized authority.

Populations & Lifeways

Lifeways would have centered on mobile pastoralism, with livestock herding structuring settlement and travel. Horses were likely crucial for transportation, herding, and exchange, and may have shaped how people used the landscape.

Archaeology & Material Culture

Archaeological research for this horizon relies heavily on burial evidence and artifact assemblages. Grave contexts can include weapons, ornaments, and horse-related equipment, demonstrating both practical functions and symbolic value. The patterning of goods and cemetery organization provides a way to compare communities within the broader steppe cultural sphere.

Culture & Society

The material record suggests communities participated in shared steppe traditions, visible in recurring artifact forms and styles. Differences in burial treatment and the inclusion of valued items imply social hierarchy or varying roles within pastoral societies.

Legacy & Transition

As the Iron Age continued, steppe cultural dynamics in Kazakhstan were reshaped by changing networks and emerging regional interactions. Zevakino–Chilikta represents an earlier phase within this longer trajectory, helping to illuminate how horse-oriented mobility and burial traditions developed in the steppe landscape over time.

Analysis

Genetic comparisons

These comparisons show genetic similarity, not identity or origin. The populations listed are those whose genomes show statistical alignment to this ancient individual.

Similarity reflects shared history, not shared identity. These are analytical comparisons, not claims about who this person was.

Modern Genetic Admixture

This analysis compares the DNA profile with present-day reference populations, showing statistical similarity to modern reference populations from different regions. The excavation site records where this individual was found, not a fixed modern genetic identity.

Asia 71.3%

Central Asian, Northern Indian & Pakistani 33.6%

Central Asian 25.1%

Pakistan 8.5%

Northern Asian 19.3%

Siberian 15.8%

Mongolian 3.6%

Chinese & Southeast Asian 15.7%

Vietnamese 8.9%

Chinese 4.8%

Tibetan 2.0%

Northern West Asian 1.9%

Caucasian 1.9%

Japanese & Korean 0.7%

Japanese 0.7%

Europe 22.6%

Northwestern European 13.1%

Northwestern European 12.0%

Finnish 1.1%

Eastern European 8.8%

Southern European 0.7%

Sardinian 0.7%

America 4.2%

Native American 4.2%

Africa 1.1%

Northern East African 1.1%

Ethiopian 1.1%

Oceania 0.9%

Melanesian 0.9%

Papuan 0.9%

Closest Modern Populations

These are the modern populations showing the closest statistical alignment to A woman buried in Kazakhstan in the Iron Age era, ranked by genetic distance. Lower distance values indicate closer statistical similarity. Cross-region similarity can reflect shared ancestry, population movement, continuity, or later admixture.

Karakalpak

3.7376

Nogai

3.7570