Vardbakh Voices

The Vardbakh individuals come from contexts dated to roughly 100 BCE–300 CE, a time when the Armenian highlands were a crossroads of Hellenistic, Parthian and local traditions. Archaeological data indicates occupation and funerary use of karst and cave sites around Yerevan in this period; however, the broader cultural landscape also included urban centers, fortified hilltops and caravan routes that threaded the south Caucasus.

Limited evidence suggests that the people interred at Yerevan 2 Cave were part of communities shaped by long-standing local traditions layered with external influences: imported goods and stylistic parallels in pottery hint at regional exchange networks. Genetically, both sampled individuals carry mitochondrial haplogroup U7b, a maternal lineage today most common in parts of the Near East and South Caucasus. This single maternal signal hints at possible connections—either local continuity from earlier Caucasus populations or gene flow from southern regions—but because only two genomes are available such interpretations remain provisional.

Archaeological stratigraphy and artifact associations can frame plausible scenarios for population interaction, but the genetic snapshot is tiny. Future sampling across nearby cemeteries and settlements is needed to discern whether U7b reflects a broader maternal pattern in Antiquity Armenia or a chance outcome of low sample numbers.

DNA analysis of the two Vardbakh individuals identifies mitochondrial haplogroup U7b in both samples. U7b today is observed at higher frequencies in parts of the Near East, Iran and the South Caucasus, and it has a deep time depth in western Eurasia. Archaeogenetically, the presence of U7b in these Antiquity Armenian individuals suggests maternal connections with southern and western Asian populations, but with only two maternal genomes the pattern cannot be generalized.

No consistent Y-DNA haplogroup is reported for this dataset; reasons can include the absence of male samples, poor preservation of Y-chromosomal DNA, or simply that Y-haplogroups were not successfully recovered or are heterogeneous across individuals. Without robust paternal-line data, interpretations of patrilineal descent, migration waves or male-mediated gene flow remain unresolved.

Genetic signals must be read alongside archaeology: trade, mobility and population contact in the Armenian highlands could produce mixtures of local and incoming maternal lineages. However, because the sample count is extremely low (n=2), any inference about population structure, continuity, or migration during 100 BCE–300 CE is preliminary. Further genome-wide sampling across cemeteries and settlements in Armenia would clarify whether U7b represents a localized maternal continuity, episodic migration, or a broader regional ancestry component in Antiquity Armenia.