EAGER: Genetic Diversity and Population History in Svanetia, Northwestern Georgia

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Dr. Theodore G. Schurr and doctoral candidate Aram Yardumian, both of the University of Pennsylvania, will collaborate with Georgian researchers Dr. Lia Bitadze (Laboratory for Anthropologic Studies, Institute of History and Ethnology), Dr. David Chitanava (Institute of History and Ethnology), and Dr. Shengelia (T'bilisi State Medical University) to initiate a long-term study of genetic ancestry and ethnogenesis in Georgia. The goal is to develop a model for the peopling of the region. While much is known about the various archaeological horizons in Georgia and the South Caucasus, relatively little is known about the biological and cultural relationships of Georgian ethnic groups with populations from the Near East, Anatolia and the Russian steppe. Thus, the project will elucidate the cultural, genetic and linguistic contributions to the diversity of populations in Georgia. The project will initially explore the history of the Svan-speaking population in northwestern Georgia. The American-Georgian team will collect genealogical information and DNA samples from ~350 individuals in the three regions of Svanetia for genetic analysis, and Georgian researchers will conduct concerted ethno-historical research into Svanetian population history. The team will further examine the diversification of Kartvelian languages in Georgia through historical linguistic methods, and determine the extent to which patterns of genetic and linguistic diversity correlate.The results of this multidisciplinary project will contribute to a better understanding of the pattern of genetic diversity in Svanetia and assess the manner in which the current ethno-linguistic groups might reflect deeper biological patterns within Georgia. For Svanetia, it is hypothesized that a historical engagement between the ancient autochthonous descendants of western Georgia, the movement of Kartvelian-speakers from Anatolia, and the later arrival of North Caucasus steppe populations has produced the ethnic diversity seen there today. This project will further provide a foundation for long-term collaboration research with Georgian scholars that will yield novel insights into the history of this region and the Caucasus more broadly, and build on Georgian efforts to develop a more thorough picture of its national history. In addition, funding this research supports the education of an American graduate student.