Archaeogenetic analysis sheds light on genomic substructure and kinship practices of Xianbei nobles from the Yihe Nur site

Abstract

The Xianbei confederation was the most powerful among the many historically documented nomadic groups to emerge in northern China. It played a pivotal role in the political, military, and historical landscape of ancient China and even the broader Eurasian region. Recent studies on the Xianbei have shed light on their origins and migration patterns, primarily focusing on Xianbei commoners. However, the genetic structure of Xianbei nobles and their kinship relationships remain insufficiently understood. In this study, we successfully obtained genomic data from four ancient individuals buried in a family tomb associated with Xianbei nobility at the Yihe Nur site in Inner Mongolia. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first recovery of ancient genomic data from the Xianbei nobles. Furthermore, new genomic data were also retrieved from an individual associated with the Liao Dynasty, excavated at the same site. We found that the Xianbei nobles generally carried ancestry components associated with early Xianbei populations. However, one female noble exhibited a predominant genetic profile derived from southern East Asian populations, with only a minor contribution from early Xianbei ancestry, suggesting potential population interactions and genetic influences between Xianbei nobles and other East Asian groups. We also identified a parent-child relationship among the Xianbei nobles, who were buried in close proximity, implying that genetic kinship may have played a role in shaping Xianbei funerary practices. Furthermore, a female servant interred in the passage of the YHNE5 tomb, however, was found to be genetically unrelated to the tomb owner. In addition, an individual from the Liao Dynasty, excavated at the same site, exhibited significant genetic affinity with agricultural populations from the Central Plains of China, indicating that the Xianbei was genetically influenced by the southern of China during the period from the Xianbei to Liao Dynasty.