Genetic Landscape of Northern Europe from Scandinavia to the Volga-Oka Interfluve in the Second Half of the 1st – Early 2nd Millennium AD

The articles gives an analytical review of the research findings dedicated to the genetic history of the North and North-East Europe in the last quarter of the 1st – early 2nd millennium AD. By the era of vikings population of Scandinavia could be genetically divided into three local subclusters, such as a)Danish-like, b)Swedish-like and c)Norwegian-like. This clusters partially match the modern boundaries of these countries. During the viking era the gene pools of the local populations started to merge. The most rapid spreading was found in the Danish-like component. Migration processes influenced people in the coastal and main territories. During the viking era West Scandinavia was exposed to migrants from the British Islands. Sweden and Gotland were exposed to the eastern population of Ruthenia and East Baltic region. Danemark and South Sweden were found with individuals of South European origins. During the viking era Scandinavian people were actively moving outside the region. Norwegian immigrants moved to Ireland, the Isle of Man and settled across Iceland and Greenland. Danish immigrants mostly explored Britain. Swedish immigrants spread across the Baltic coast in Estonia and Poland and internal Eastern European plains crossed by river routes. DNA data obtained in Ladoga and Gnezdovo highlight significance of both local and alien Scandinavian population. The Volga-Oka interfluve population in the first half of the 1st millennium AD was genetically close to the west Finno-Ugric people and revealed a lot of the West Siberia component in its gene pool. The early Medieval Russian colonization led to a different genetic group in this area. It was related to the contemporary Belarusians, Ukrainians and Ryazan Russians. In 900s–1200s Slavic ancestors co-existed with Finno-Ugric people in the Volga-Oka interfluve. Unlike the Old Ladoga and Gnezdovo Scandinavian genetics was not found here. The West Ingria lacks genome-wide data. Y-chromosome researches suggest that the early Medieval Russians appeared here as late as in 1000s–1100s. By the late 1200s they had mixed with the local Finnish population. Novgorod sopkas and Pskov long kurgans cultures have not yet had ancient DNA data obtained. Such data could have thrown light on the history of Slavic migrations across the North-West Ruthenia. The viking era migrations finished and led to the migrants’ genes being absorbed by locals from the internal Scandinavia. In the same way, outside Scandinavia Scandinavians’ genes were absorbed. In 1200s Slavic colonists’ ancestors absorbed ancestors of the local Finno-Ugric populations in the Volga-Oka interfluve. These mixed gene pools resulted in the contemporary Russians from this region being far from Belarusians and Ukrainians. The Finno-Ugric enclaves lasted in the West Ingria.