A peer-reviewed article released in Cell reconstructed 5,000 years of population history in the Southern Caucasus through ancient DNA from 230 individuals recovered at 50 sites in present-day Georgia and Armenia. The investigation, led by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Tbilisi State University, and partner institutions within the Max Planck - Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean, generated a genome-wide dataset spanning the Early Bronze Age (about 3500 BCE) to the early Middle Ages (about 500 CE).

“The consistency of a deeply rooted local gene pool over numerous changes in material culture is extraordinary,” said population geneticist Harald Ringbauer.

The authors reported that, despite successive shifts in political control and material culture, the region retained a largely stable ancestry profile. Limited gene flow occurred during the Bronze Age, with partial contributions from Anatolia and the Eurasian steppe, but local continuity dominated.

Late Antique urban centers such as Mtskheta and Samshvilde displayed marked genetic diversity. “Historical sources mention how the Caucasus Mountains served both as a barrier and a corridor for migration during Late Antiquity. Our study shows that increased individual mobility was a key feature of the emerging urban centers in the region,” said co-lead author Xiaowen Jia, according to Medievalists.net. Many city dwellers carried ancestry from Central Asia, the Levant, and Anatolia, and shared few close biological ties with one another, while residents of rural villages were often closely related, reflecting endogamy.

One striking result involved early medieval burials from the Iberian Kingdom (eastern Georgia) that showed intentional cranial deformation. “We identified numerous individuals with deformed skulls who were genetically Central Asian, and we even found direct genealogical links to the Avars and Huns, yet most of these individuals were locals, not migrants. This is a compelling example of the cultural adoption of a practice that was likely disseminated in the area by nomadic groups,” said lead author Eirini Skourtanioti.

Historical sources described the Darial Pass as a key corridor through which steppe groups such as the Alans entered the region, sometimes at the invitation of Iberian rulers. These movements, together with trade, pilgrimage, and diplomacy, reinforced the Southern Caucasus as a junction between Europe and Asia.

The study concluded that while cities remained open to newcomers—especially after the later phases of the Bronze Age—rural areas preserved tighter social networks, illustrating how genetic diversity collected in urban hubs without displacing long-standing local ancestry