Tanais ( Greek : Τάναϊς Tánaïs ; Russian : Танаис ) was an ancient Greek city in the Don river delta, called the Maeotian marshes in classical antiquity . It was a bishopric as Tana and remains a Latin Catholic titular see as Tanais.
110-509: The delta reaches into the northeasternmost part of the Sea of Azov , which the Ancient Greeks called Lake Maeotis. The site of ancient Tanais is about 30 km west of modern Rostov-on-Don . The central city site lies on a plateau with a difference up to 20 m in elevation in the south. It is bordered by a natural valley to the east, and an artificial ditch to the west. The site of Tanais
220-510: A South Asian origin. Sharma et al.(2009) theorizes the existence of R1a in India beyond 18,000 years to possibly 44,000 years in origin. A number of studies from 2006 to 2010 concluded that South Asian populations have the highest STR diversity within R1a1a, and subsequent older TMRCA datings. R1a1a is present among both higher ( Brahmin ) castes and lower castes, and while the frequency
330-744: A Y-chromosome haplogroup among speakers of various languages such as Slavic and Indo-Iranian , the question of the origins of R1a1a is relevant to the ongoing debate concerning the urheimat of the Proto-Indo-European people , and may also be relevant to the origins of the Indus Valley civilization . R1a shows a strong correlation with Indo-European languages of Southern and Western Asia , Central and Eastern Europe and to Scandinavia being most prevalent in Eastern Europe , Central Asia , and South Asia . In Europe, Z282
440-497: A few centuries the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilisation." However, according to Narasimhan et al. (2018) , steppe pastoralists are a likely source for R1a in India. The R1a family tree now has three major levels of branching, with the largest number of defined subclades within the dominant and best known branch, R1a1a (which will be found with various names such as "R1a1" in relatively recent but not
550-620: A massive migration from the Yamnaya culture northwards took place c. 2,500 BCE, accounting for 75% of the genetic ancestry of the Corded Ware culture , noting that R1a and R1b may have "spread into Europe from the East after 3,000 BCE". Yet, all their seven Yamnaya samples belonged to the R1b-M269 subclade, but no R1a1a has been found in their Yamnaya samples. This raises the question where
660-546: A maximum of 3 metres. They cover an area of 2,560 square kilometres (990 sq mi) in the northeastern Crimea which is separated from the sea by the Arabatsk Spit. North of the spit lies the city of Henichesk (population 22,500) and south of it is the Bay of Arabat . Syvash accepts up to 1.5 km of Azov water per year. Because of the lagoons' wide extent and shallowness, the water rapidly evaporates, resulting in
770-539: A rare, basal paragroup , under R-M420* and defined by the mutation SRY1532.2. Examples of R1a initially considered to be basal and to constitute a paragroup are now known to have been part of a fundamental forking in R1a*, i.e. R1a2 (R-YP4141). (The previously defining SNP SRY1532.2 is now regarded as unreliable.) R1a2 has two sub-branches: R1a2a (R-YP5018) and R1a2b (R-YP4132). R1a2 (R-YP4141) has two branches R1a2a (R-YP5018) and R1a2b (R-YP4132). This rare primary subclade
880-714: A result of the Russo-Turkish War (1710–1711) and the Treaty of the Pruth , Azov was returned to Turkey and the Russian Azov fleet was destroyed. The city was recaptured by Russia in 1737 during the Russo-Austrian-Turkish War (1735–1739) . However, as a result of the consequent Treaty of Niš , Russia was not allowed to keep the fortress and military fleet. Another major military campaign on
990-526: A skeleton. The result was 389I=13, 389II=30, 458=15, 385=11, 393=13, 391=11, 635=23, 437=14, 448=19. This result is characteristic for haplogroup R1a . Sea of Azov The Sea of Azov is an inland shelf sea in Eastern Europe connected to the Black Sea by the narrow (about 4 km (2.5 mi)) Strait of Kerch , and sometimes regarded as a northern extension of the Black Sea. The sea
1100-655: A width of 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) and a maximum depth of 15 metres (49 ft). The narrowness of the Kerch Strait limits the water exchange with the Black Sea. As a result, the salinity of the Sea of Azov is low; in the open sea it is 10–12 on the Practical Salinity Scale (PSS), about one third of the salinity of the oceans; it is even lower (2–7 (PSS)) in the Taganrog Bay at the northeast end of
1210-674: Is sacred lotus . The number of species is large; for example, the Belosaraysk and Berdyansk spits alone contain more than 200 each. Some spits are declared national nature reserves , such as Beglitsk, Belosaraysk, Krivaya and Berdyansk Spits. Estuaries and spits of the sea are rich in birds, mostly waterfowl, such as wild geese, ducks and seagulls. Colonies of cormorants and pelicans are common. Also frequently observed are swans, herons, sandpipers and many birds of prey. Mammals include foxes, wild cats, hares, hedgehogs, weasels , martens and wild boar. Muskrats were introduced to
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#17327584353461320-530: Is 1.5–2 times larger in summer than in winter. Average water temperatures are 0–1 °C in winter (2–3 °C in the Kerch Strait) and 24–25 °C in summer, with a maximum of about 28 °C on the open sea and above 30 °C near the shores. During the summer, the sea surface is usually slightly warmer than the air. Because of the shallow character of the sea, the temperature usually lowers by only about 1 °C with depth, but in cold winters,
1430-656: Is Berdyansk Bay with two cities, Berdyansk (population 112,000) and Primorsk (population 13,900). Further north again lies Belosaraysk Bay with Belosaraysk Spit, formed by the river Kalmius . The major city in the area is Mariupol (population 491,600). Then, approaching the Taganrog Bay and very close to Taganrog , are the Mius Liman and Krivaya Spit formed by the Mius River . With an area of about 5,600 square kilometres (2,200 sq mi), Taganrog Bay
1540-546: Is a STR based group that is R-M17(xM458). This cluster is common in Poland but not exclusive to Poland. R1a1a1b1a2b3a (R-L365) was early called Cluster G . This large subclade appears to encompass most of the R1a1a found in Asia, being related to Indo-European migrations (including Scythians , Indo-Aryan migrations and so on). In Mesolithic Europe, R1a is characteristic of Eastern Hunter-Gatherers (EHGs). A male EHG of
1650-667: Is an extremely rare primary subclade of R1a1. It has been found in three individuals, from Belarus, Tunisia and the Coptic community in Egypt respectively. The following SNPs are associated with R1a1a: R1a1a1 (R-M417) is the most widely found subclade, in two variations which are found respectively in Europe (R1a1a1b1 (R-Z282) ([R1a1a1a*] (R-Z282) (Underhill 2014) ) and Central and South Asia (R1a1a1b2 (R-Z93) ([R1a1a2*] (R-Z93) Underhill 2014) ). This large subclade appears to encompass most of
1760-644: Is bounded by Russia on the east, and by Ukraine on the northwest and southwest (the parts of Ukraine bordering the sea are currently under Russian occupation ). It is an important access route for Central Asia , from the Caspian Sea via the Volga–Don Canal . The sea is largely affected by the inflow of the Don , Kuban , and other rivers, which bring sand, silt , and shells, which in turn form numerous bays, limans , and narrow spits . Because of these deposits,
1870-592: Is considered "clearly West Slavic". The founding ancestor of R-L260 is estimated to have lived between 2000 and 3000 years ago, i.e. during the Iron Age , with significant population expansion less than 1,500 years ago. R-M334 ([R1a1a1g1], a subclade of [R1a1a1g] (M458) c.q. R1a1a1b1a1 (M458) ) was found by Underhill et al. (2009) only in one Estonian man and may define a very recently founded and small clade. R1a1a1b1a2b3* (M417+, Z645+, Z283+, Z282+, Z280+, CTS1211+, CTS3402, Y33+, CTS3318+, Y2613+) (Gwozdz's Cluster K)
1980-437: Is considered an internal sea of Russia and Ukraine, and its use is governed by an agreement between these countries ratified in 2003. The sea is 360 kilometres (220 mi) long and 180 kilometres (110 mi) wide and has an area of 39,000 square kilometres (15,000 sq mi); it is the smallest sea within the countries of the former Soviet Union. The main rivers flowing into it are the Don and Kuban ; they ensure that
2090-525: Is distinguished by several unique markers, including the M420 mutation. It is a subclade of Haplogroup R-M173 (previously called R1). R1a has the sister-subclades Haplogroup R1b -M343, and the paragroup R-M173*. R1a, defined by the mutation M420, has two primary branches: R-M459 (R1a1) and R-YP4141 (R1a2). As of 2024, there are no true, known examples of basal R1a*. When examples that were negative for M-459 were first discovered, they were initially regarded as
2200-461: Is estimated to have occurred 25,000 years ago, which is the time of the last glacial maximum . A 2014 study by Peter A. Underhill et al., using 16,244 individuals from over 126 populations from across Eurasia, concluded that there was "a compelling case for the Middle East, possibly near present-day Iran, as the geographic origin of hg R1a". The ancient DNA record has shown the first R1a during
2310-481: Is for passage by Russian marine traffic. On December 10, 2021, the Ukrainian Navy announced that Russia had blocked off nearly 70 percent of the Sea of Azov, issuing navigation warnings, ostensibly to conduct artillery fire exercises on the sea ..."near Mariupol, Berdyansk and Henichesk." It raised apprehension regarding a potential Russian invasion since it had begun amassing tens of thousands of troops near
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#17327584353462420-859: Is higher among Brahmin castes, the oldest TMRCA datings of the R1a haplogroup occur in the Saharia tribe , a scheduled caste of the Bundelkhand region of Central India . From these findings some researchers argued that R1a1a originated in South Asia, excluding a more recent, yet minor, genetic influx from Indo-European migrants in northwestern regions such as Afghanistan, Balochistan, Punjab, and Kashmir. The conclusion that R1a originated in India has been questioned by more recent research, offering proof that R1a arrived in India with multiple waves of migration. Haak et al. (2015) found that part of
2530-741: Is located on the Kerch peninsula, and the Taman peninsula contains the delta of the Kuban , a major Russian river. The strait is 41 kilometres long and 4 to 15 kilometres wide. Its narrowest part lies on the Sea of Azov side, restricted by the Chushka Spit which faces southwards in consequence of the outflow from the Azov to the Black Sea. The Strait of Kerch is spanned by the Crimean Bridge , which
2640-399: Is one of the world's longest spits; three other spits, Fedotov Spit, Achuevsk Spit and Obitochna Spit, are longer than 30 km. Most spits stretch from north to south and their shape can significantly change over just several years. A remarkable feature of the Sea of Azov is the large complex of shallow lagoons called Syvash or "Rotten Sea". Their typical depth is only 0.5–1 metres with
2750-705: Is prevalent particularly while in Asia Z93 dominates. The connection between Y-DNA R-M17 and the spread of Indo-European languages was first noted by T. Zerjal and colleagues in 1999. Semino et al. (2000) proposed Ukrainian origins, and a postglacial spread of the R1a1 haplogroup during the Late Glacial Maximum , subsequently magnified by the expansion of the Kurgan culture into Europe and eastward. Spencer Wells proposes Central Asian origins, suggesting that
2860-400: Is the largest bay of the Sea of Azov. It is located in the north-eastern part of the Sea and is bounded by the Belosaraysk and Dolgaya Spits . The Don flows into it from the north-east. On its shores stand the two principal cities of the Sea of Azov, Taganrog (population 257,600) and Azov (population 83,200). South-east of the bay is Yeysk Liman. It lies entirely on the continent, entering
2970-604: Is the shallowest sea in the world, with the depth varying between 0.9 and 14 metres (3 and 46 ft). There is a constant outflow of water from the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea. The name is likely to derive from the settlement of an area around Azov , whose name comes from the Kipchak Turkish asak or azaq 'lowlands'. A Russian pseudo-etymology , however, instead derives it from an eponymous Cuman prince named "Azum" or "Asuf", said to have been killed defending his town in 1067. A formerly common spelling of
3080-515: Is uncertain but probably the Huns , after defeating the Alans people who had settled in the region from central Asia, overran it in the late 4th century. The Sea of Azov was frequently the scene of military conflicts between Russia, pursuing naval expansion to the south, and the major power in the region, Turkey . During the Russo-Turkish War (1686–1700) , there were two campaigns in 1695–96 to capture
3190-603: The Black Sea in 1997, and the historic presence of large whales such as minke whales in the Black Sea is recorded, although it is unclear whether these mammals historically occurred in the Azov basin. For centuries, the Sea of Azov has been an important waterway for the transport of goods and passengers. The first modern ironworks in Imperial Russia were located upstream on the Kalmius River at Donetsk , originally named Hughesovka ( Russian : Юзовка ). It
3300-665: The Black Sea port Odesa , passed under the Crimean Bridge, and arrived in Mariupol . Tensions increased further after the Kerch Strait incident in November 2018, when Russia seized three Ukrainian Navy vessels attempting to enter the Sea of Azov. Control of the western shore of the Sea is vital to the economy of Ukraine but it is also of immense strategic importance to Russia, as a land route to Crimea as well as it
3410-776: The Golden Horde , like all their Black Sea colonies controlled by the Genoese Consul at Kaffa . It decayed again after 1368. In 1392 it was conquered by Timur , by the Ottoman Turks in 1471, by the Russians in 1696, again by the Turks in 1711 and by the Russian Empire in 1771. In 1823, I. A. Stempkovsky first made a connection between the visible archaeological remains, which were mostly Roman in date, and
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3520-618: The Indian subcontinent , consistent with multiple waves of arrival." According to Martin P. Richards, co-author of Silva et al. (2017) , the prevalence of R1a in India was "very powerful evidence for a substantial Bronze Age migration from central Asia that most likely brought Indo-European speakers to India." David Anthony considers the Yamnaya culture to be the Indo-European Urheimat . According to Haak et al. (2015) ,
3630-493: The Indus Valley civilization . Mascarenhas et al. (2015) proposed that the roots of Z93 lie in West Asia, and proposed that "Z93 and L342.2 expanded in a southeasterly direction from Transcaucasia into South Asia ", noting that such an expansion is compatible with "the archeological records of eastward expansion of West Asian populations in the 4th millennium BCE culminating in the so-called Kura-Araxes migrations in
3740-664: The Mesolithic in Eastern Hunter-Gatherers (from Eastern Europe, c. 13,000 years ago), and the earliest case of R* among Upper Paleolithic Ancient North Eurasians , from which the Eastern Hunter-Gatherers predominantly derive their ancestry. According to Underhill et al. (2014) , the downstream R1a-M417 subclade diversified into Z282 and Z93 circa 5,800 years ago "in the vicinity of Iran and Eastern Turkey". Even though R1a occurs as
3850-623: The Pazyryk , Tagar , Tashtyk , and Srubnaya cultures, the inhabitants of ancient Tanais , in the Tarim mummies , and the aristocracy of Xiongnu . The skeletal remains of a father and his two sons, from an archaeological site discovered in 2005 near Eulau (in Saxony-Anhalt , Germany ) and dated to about 2600 BCE, tested positive for the Y-SNP marker SRY10831.2. The Ysearch number for
3960-598: The Sea of Surozh after the adjacent city now known as Sudak . It was known in Ottoman Turkish as the Balük-Denis ("Fish Sea") from its high productivity. There are traces of Neolithic settlement in the area now covered by the sea. In 1997, William Ryan and Walter Pitman of Columbia University published a theory that a massive flood through the Bosporus occurred in ancient times. They claim that
4070-500: The Siberian Anticyclone which brings cold and dry air from Siberia with winds of 4–7 m/s, sometimes up to 15 m/s. Those winds may lower the winter temperatures from the usual −1 to −5 °C to below −30 °C. The mean mid-summer temperatures are 23–25 °C with a maximum of about 40 °C. Winds are weaker in summer, typically 3–5 m/s. Precipitation varies between 312 and 528 mm/year and
4180-538: The United Arab Emirates , and 3/612 in Turkey . Testing of 7224 more males in 73 other Eurasian populations showed no sign of this category. The major subclade R-M459 includes an overwhelming majority of individuals within R1a more broadly. However, as of 2024, all known individuals with M459 fall within R1a1a or R1a1b; no examples of R1a1* have yet been identified. R-YP1272, also known as R-M459(xM198),
4290-538: The Veretye culture buried at Peschanitsa near Lake Lacha in Arkhangelsk Oblast , Russia c. 10,700 BCE was found to be a carrier of the paternal haplogroup R1a5-YP1301 and the maternal haplogroup U4a . A male, named PES001, from Peschanitsa in northwestern Russia was found to carry R1a5, and dates to at least 10,600 years ago. More examples include the males Minino II (V) and Minino II (I/1), with
4400-480: The "Tanais" mentioned in the ancient Greek sources. Systematic modern excavations began in 1955. A joint Russian-German team has recently been excavating at the site of Tanais, with the aim of revealing the heart of the city, the agora , and defining the extent of Hellenistic influence on the urbanism of the Bosporan Greek city, as well as studying defensive responses to the surrounding nomadic cultures. In
4510-479: The Black Sea in the early 20th century and settled in the Sea of Azov. Its current density is 7 kg/m . From 1956, Rapana venosa is observed in the Sea of Azov, but it could not adjust to low salinity and therefore is limited to the neighborhood of the Kerch Strait. Several Sea of Azov mollusks, such as shipworm ( Teredo navalis ), soft-shell clam ( Mya arernaria ), Mediterranean mussel ( Mytilus galloprovincialis ) and Anadara inaequivalvis , originate from
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4620-409: The Black Sea plankton which does not adapt well to the low salinity of the Sea of Azov and concentrates near the Kerch Strait, fishes and invertebrates of the Black Sea adjust well. They are often stronger than the native species, are used to the relatively low temperatures of the Black Sea and survive winter in the Sea of Azov well. Balanus improvisus is the first benthos species which spread from
4730-552: The Black Sea. Another example of invading species is the Dutch crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii which is observed both in saline and freshwater parts. Formerly three types of dolphins, short-beaked common dolphin , common bottlenose dolphin and harbour porpoise , regularly visited the Sea of Azov from the Black Sea although the common dolphin usually avoided the basin and Kerch Strait due to low salinity. One sub-species of harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena relicta , used to live in
4840-607: The Black and Caspian Seas were vast freshwater lakes, but in about 5600 BC the Mediterranean spilled over a rocky sill at the Bosporus, creating the current link between the Black and Mediterranean Seas. Subsequent work has been done both to support and to discredit this theory, and archaeologists still debate it. This has led some to associate this catastrophe with prehistoric flood myths . The Maeotian marshes around
4950-662: The Eurasian Steppes or the Middle East and Caucasus region as they lie between South Asia and Central- and Eastern Europe. Three genetic studies in 2015 gave support to the Kurgan theory of Gimbutas regarding the Indo-European Urheimat . According to those studies, haplogroups R1b and R1a, now the most common in Europe (R1a is also common in South Asia) would have expanded from the Pontic–Caspian steppes, along with
5060-447: The Indo-European languages; they also detected an autosomal component present in modern Europeans which was not present in Neolithic Europeans, which would have been introduced with paternal lineages R1b and R1a, as well as Indo-European languages. Silva et al. (2017) noted that R1a in South Asia most "likely spread from a single Central Asian source pool, there do seem to be at least three and probably more R1a founder clades within
5170-426: The Maeotian or Maeotic Sea ( Mæotium or Mæoticum Æquor ); the Cimmerian or Scythican Swamps ( Cimmeriae or Scythicæ Paludes ); and the Cimmerian or Bosporic Sea ( Cimmericum or Bosporicum Mare ). The Maeotians themselves were said by Pliny to call the sea Temarunda (alternative spellings Temarenda and Temerinda), meaning "Mother of Waters". The medieval Russians knew it as
5280-410: The R1a1a found in Europe. R-M458 is a mainly Slavic SNP, characterized by its own mutation, and was first called cluster N. Underhill et al. (2009) found it to be present in modern European populations roughly between the Rhine catchment and the Ural Mountains and traced it to "a founder effect that ... falls into the early Holocene period, 7.9±2.6 KYA." (Zhivotovsky speeds, 3x overvalued) M458
5390-555: The R1a1a in the Corded Ware culture came from, if it was not from the Yamnaya culture. According to Marc Haber, the absence of haplogroup R1a-M458 in Afghanistan does not support a Pontic-Caspian steppe origin for the R1a lineages in modern Central Asian populations. According to Leo Klejn , the absence of haplogroup R1a in Yamnaya remains (despite its presence in Eneolithic Samara and Eastern Hunter Gatherer populations) makes it unlikely that Europeans inherited haplogroup R1a from Yamnaya. Archaeologist Barry Cunliffe has said that
5500-505: The Russian Federation agreed in a treaty to treat the sea and the Kerch Strait as shared internal waters. In September 2018, Ukraine announced the intention to add navy ships and further ground forces along the coast of the Sea of Azov, with the ships based at Berdiansk . The military posturing was exacerbated following the construction of the Crimean Bridge , which is too low to allow passage of Panamax ships into Ukraine's port. Late that September, two Ukrainian vessels departed from
5610-489: The Russian fleet blocked Azov by sea. On 14 June, the Turkish fleet tried to break the blockade but, after losing two ships, retreated to the sea. After intensive bombardment of the fortress from land and sea, on 17 July the Russian army broke the defense lines and occupied parts of the wall. After heavy fighting, the garrison surrendered on 17 July. After the war, the Russian fleet base was moved to Taganrog and Azov, and 215 ships were built there between 1696 and 1711. In 1711, as
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#17327584353465720-558: The Sea of Azov and was therefore called "Azov dolphin" ( азовка , azovka) in the Soviet Union. Nowadays, dolphins are rarely observed in the Sea of Azov. This is attributed to shallowing of the sea, increasing navigation activities, pollution, and reduction in the fish population. Various species of pinnipeds and belugas were introduced into Black Sea by mankind and later escaped either by accidental or purported causes. Of these, grey seal has been recorded within Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov. Mediterranean monk seals became extinct in
5830-434: The Sea of Azov form bays, lagoons and limans . The sand, silt and shells they bring are deposited in the areas of reduced flow, that is the sides of the bays, forming narrow sandbanks called spits . Typical maximum depth in the bays and limans is a few metres. Because of shallow waters and abundant rivers, the spits are remarkably long and numerous in the sea – the Arabat Spit stretches over 112 kilometres (70 mi) and
5940-574: The Sea of Azov region. Among them, there are 50 rare and 19 endangered species, and the sturgeon Acipenser nudiventris is probably extinct in the region. The fauna of the freshwater Taganrog Bay is much poorer – it consists of 55 species from 36 genera and 16 families; among them, three species are rare and 6 are endangered. The shores of the Sea of Azov contain numerous estuaries and marshes and are dominated by reeds, sedges , Typha and Sparganium . Typical submerged plants are Charales , pond weed , hornworts and water lilies . Also common
6050-450: The Sea of Azov took place during the Crimean War of 1853–56. A naval and ground campaign pitting the allied navies of Britain and France against Russia took place between May and November 1855. The British and French forces besieged Taganrog , aiming to disrupt Russian supplies to Crimea. Capturing Taganrog would also result in an attack on Rostov, which was a strategic city for Russian support of their Caucasian operations. On 12 May 1855,
6160-520: The Sea of Azov. The number of species is dominated by diatoms and green algae ; blue-green algae and pyrophites are significant, and euglena and yellow-green algae form only 5% of the species. Green algae are mostly responsible for the colour of the sea in the satellite images (see photos above). Regarding zooplankton , the fresh waters of the Tanganrog Bay are inhabited by cladocera , copepoda and rotifers , such as Brachionus plicatilis , Keratella curdata and Asplanchna . Western part of
6270-402: The Sea. The long-term variations of salinity on the PSS are low, and are mostly caused by changes in humidity and precipitation. Although more than 20 rivers flow into the sea, mostly from the north, two of them, the Don and Kuban rivers, account for more than 90% of water inflow. The contribution of the Don is about twice that of the Kuban. The Kuban delta is located at the southeast, on
6380-420: The Taganrog Bay through the Yeysk and Glafirovsk Spits, and is the mouth of the Yeya River . Yeysk Spit is part of Yeysk city, which has a population of 87,500. It extends into the prominent Yeysk peninsula, which is tipped in the north-west by the Dolgaya Spit . South of it, also enclosed by the continent, lies Beisug Liman, which is restricted by the Yasensk Spit and is fed by the Beysug River . South-west of
6490-496: The Yamnaya ancestry derived from the Middle East and that neolithic techniques probably arrived at the Yamnaya culture from the Balkans . The Rössen culture (4,600–4,300 BC), which was situated on Germany and predates the Corded Ware culture, an old subclade of R1a, namely L664, can still be found. Part of the South Asian genetic ancestry derives from west Eurasian populations, and some researchers have implied that Z93 may have come to India via Iran and expanded there during
6600-685: The absence of haplogroup R1a in Yamnaya specimens is a major weakness in Haak's proposal that R1a has a Yamnaya origin. Semenov & Bulat (2016) do argue for a Yamnaya origin of R1a1a in the Corded Ware culture, noting that several publications point to the presence of R1a1 in the Comb Ware culture . Kivisild et al. (2003) have proposed either South or West Asia , while Mirabal et al. (2009) see support for both South and Central Asia. Sengupta et al. (2006) have proposed Indian origins. Thanseem et al. (2006) have proposed either South or Central Asia. Sahoo et al. (2006) have proposed either South or West Asia. Thangaraj et al. (2010) have also proposed
6710-491: The allied forces easily captured Kerch and gained access to the Sea of Azov, and on 22 May they attacked Taganrog. The attack failed and was followed by a siege. Despite the vast superiority of the allied forces (about 16,000 soldiers against fewer than 2,000), the city withstood all attempts to capture it, which ended around August 1855 with the retreat of the allied army. Individual coastal attacks continued without success and ceased in October 1855. In December 2003, Ukraine and
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#17327584353466820-402: The annual inflow and outflow of water to the sea, averaged over the period from 1923 to 1985, are as follows: river inflow 38.6 km , precipitation 15.5 km , evaporation 34.6 km , inflow from the Black Sea 36–38 km , outflow 53–55 km . Thus, about 17 km of fresh water is outflowing from the Azov Sea to the Black Sea. The depth of Azov Sea is decreasing, mostly due to
6930-405: The anoxic waters forming in a layer 0.5 to 4 metres (2–13 ft) in thickness. The occurrence of the anoxic layer is attributed to seasonal eutrophication events associated with increased sedimentary input from the Don and Kuban Rivers. This sedimentary input stimulates biotic activity in the surface layers, in which organisms photosynthesise under aerobic conditions. Once the organisms expire,
7040-507: The area in the early 20th century and are hunted for their fur. Some ichthyofauna species, such as anchovy , garfish , Black Sea whiting and pickerel , visit the Sea of Azov from the Black Sea for spawning. This was especially frequent in 1975–77 when the salinity of the southern Sea of Azov was unusually high, and additional species were seen such as bluefish , turbot , chuco, spurdog , Black Sea salmon , mackerel and even corkwing wrasse , rock hopper, bullhead and eelpout . Unlike
7150-411: The bays, where silt has built up, the average depth is about 1 metre (3 ft). The sea bottom is also relatively flat with the depth gradually increasing from the coast to the centre. The Sea of Azov is an internal sea with passage to the Atlantic Ocean going through the Black, Marmara , Aegean and Mediterranean seas. It is connected to the Black Sea by the Strait of Kerch, which at its narrowest has
7260-464: The book Jakten på Odin , author Thor Heyerdahl advanced a highly controversial idea postulating connections between Tanais and ancient Scandinavia . In preparation of the book, he conducted some archaeological research on the site of Tanais. Heyerdal`s idea was based on the old Norse sagas of Snorri Sturlason . (1178 - 1241) Tanais Tablets are the most important historical discoveries in region of Tanais. 9 Y-chromosome markers were obtained from
7370-613: The central Russia – thus connecting major cities such as Moscow, Volgograd and Astrakhan . Currently, the major ports are in Taganrog , Mariupol , Yeysk and Berdyansk . Haplogroup R1a Haplogroup R1a , or haplogroup R-M420 , is a human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup which is distributed in a large region in Eurasia , extending from Scandinavia and Central Europe to Central Asia , southern Siberia and South Asia . While one genetic study indicates that R1a originated 25,000 years ago, its subclade M417 (R1a1a1) diversified c. 5,800 years ago. The place of origin of
7480-412: The dead organic matter sinks to the bottom of the sea where bacteria and microorganisms, using all available oxygen, consume the organic matter, leading to anoxic conditions. Studies have shown that in the Sea of Azov, the exact vertical structure is dependent on wind strength and sea surface temperature , but typically a 'stagnation zone' lies between the oxic and anoxic layers. Many rivers flowing into
7590-426: The difference can reach 5–7 °C. The winds cause frequent storms, with the waves reaching 6 metres in the Taganrog Bay, 2–4 metres near the southern shores, and 1 metre in the Kerch Strait. In the open sea, their height is usually 1–2 metres, sometimes up to 3 metres. Winds also induce frequent seiches – standing waves with an amplitude of 20–50 cm and lasting from minutes to hours. Another consequence of
7700-467: The distribution and age of R1a1 points to an ancient migration corresponding to the spread by the Kurgan people in their expansion from the Eurasian steppe . According to Pamjav et al. (2012) , R1a1a diversified in the Eurasian Steppes or the Middle East and Caucasus region: Inner and Central Asia is an overlap zone for the R1a1-Z280 and R1a1-Z93 lineages [which] implies that an early differentiation zone of R1a1-M198 conceivably occurred somewhere within
7810-412: The east side of the Kerch Strait. It is over 100 km long and covers a vast flooded area with numerous channels. Because of the spread, the delta has low contrast in satellite images, and is hardly visible in the map. The Don flows from the north into the large Taganrog Bay . The depth there varies between 2 and 9 metres, while the maximum depth is observed in the middle of the sea. Typical values of
7920-479: The end of the siege of Mariupol , Russia fully captured the city and blocked off Ukraine's access to the sea by controlling the entire north Pryazovia . The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limit of the Sea of Azov in the Kertch Strait [ sic ] as "The limit of the Black Sea ", which is itself defined as "A line joining Cape Takil and Cape Panaghia (45°02'N)". The sea
8030-408: The former carrying R1a1 and the latter R1a respectively, with the former being at 10,600 years old and the latter at least 10,400 years old respectively, both from Minino in northwestern Russia. A Mesolithic male from Karelia c. 8,800 BCE to 7950 BCE has been found to be carrying haplogroup R1a. A Mesolithic male buried at Deriivka c. 7000 BCE to 6700 BCE carried the paternal haplogroup R1a and
8140-601: The genetic adaptation to lactase persistence (13910-T)." R1a has been found in the Corded Ware culture , in which it is predominant. Examined males of the Bronze Age Fatyanovo culture belong entirely to R1a, specifically subclade R1a-Z93. Haplogroup R1a has later been found in ancient fossils associated with the Urnfield culture ; as well as the burial of the remains of the Sintashta , Andronovo ,
8250-701: The high salinity of 170 on the practical salinity scale . For this reason Syvash has long had an important salt-producing industry. North of the Arabat Spit is the Molochnyi Liman with the associated Fedotov Spit (45 km long) which are formed by the Molochna River . Farther north, between the Fedotov Spit and Obytochna Spit (30 km long), lies Obytochny Bay. Further north, between Obytochna Spit and Berdyansk Spit (23 km long),
8360-434: The introduction of icebreakers , navigation was halted in the winter. Historically, the sea has had rich marine life, both in variety, with over 80 fish and 300 invertebrate species identified, and in numbers. Consequently, fishing has long been a major activity in the area. The annual catch of recent years was 300,000 tonnes, about half of which are valuable species (sturgeon, pike-perch , bream , sea-roach , etc.). This
8470-468: The larger parent group R-M458, and was first identified as an STR cluster by Pawlowski et al. 2002 . In 2010 it was verified to be a haplogroup identified by its own mutation (SNP). It apparently accounts for about 8% of Polish men, making it the most common subclade in Poland. Outside of Poland it is less common. In addition to Poland, it is mainly found in the Czech Republic and Slovakia , and
8580-469: The latest literature). The topology of R1a is as follows (codes [in brackets] non-isogg codes): Tatiana et al. (2014) "rapid diversification process of K-M526 likely occurred in Southeast Asia , with subsequent westward expansions of the ancestors of haplogroups R and Q ." R1a R1b R1* R2 (M479) R* M207(xM173, M479) R1a
8690-721: The liman, the 31 km long Achuevsk Spit runs along the coastline. Between the Achuevsk spit and Beisug Liman stands Primorsko-Akhtarsk with 32,165 inhabitants. In the south, the Sea of Azov is connected to the Black Sea via the Strait of Kerch , which is bordered to the west by the Kerch peninsula of the Crimea and to the east by the Russian Taman peninsula in Krasnodar Krai . The city of Kerch (population 151,300)
8800-645: The maternal U5a2a . Another male from Karelia from c. 5,500 to 5,000 BC, who was considered an EHG, carried haplogroup R1a. A male from the Comb Ceramic culture in Kudruküla c. 5,900 BCE to 3,800 BCE has been determined to be a carrier of R1a and the maternal U2e1 . According to archaeologist David Anthony, the paternal R1a-Z93 was found at the Oskol river near a no longer existing kolkhoz "Alexandria", Ukraine c. 4000 BCE, "the earliest known sample to show
8910-460: The more famous Bosporus at the other end of the Black Sea . Briefly annexed by Pontus from the late 2nd century BC, it stretched along both southern shores of the Sea of Azov from the time of Greek colonization to the end of the Roman Empire , serving as a client kingdom which exported wheat, fish, and slaves in exchange for Greek and Roman manufactures and luxuries. Its later history
9020-602: The mother city-state, and emporia , which were strictly trading stations. Founded late in the 3rd century BC, by merchant adventurers from Miletus , Tanais quickly developed into an emporium at the farthest northeastern extension of the Hellenic cultural sphere. It was a natural post, first for the trade of the steppes reaching away eastwards in an unbroken grass sea to the Altai , the Scythian Holy Land, second for
9130-521: The mouth of the Tanais River (the present-day Don ) were famous in antiquity , as they served as an important check on the migration of nomadic people from the Eurasian steppelands . The Maeotians themselves lived by fishing and farming, but were avid warriors able to defend themselves against invaders. Misled by its strong currents, ancient geographers had only a vague idea of the extent of
9240-604: The name in English was the Sea of Azoff . . In antiquity , the sea was known as the Maeotis Swamp ( Greek : Μαιῶτις λίμνη , hē Maiōtis límnē ; Latin : Palus Maeotis ), from the marshlands to its northeast. It remains unclear whether it was named for the nearby Maeotians or viceversa if that name was an exonym , broadly applied to various peoples who happened to live beside it. Other names included Lake Maeotis or Maeotius ( Mæotius or Mæotis Lacus );
9350-556: The near future, due to ongoing deposition of sediments from rivers. In the 1st century, Strabo reckoned the distance from the Cimmerian Bosporus (the Strait of Kerch ) to the mouth of the Tanais at 2200 stadia , a roughly correct figure, but did not know that its width continuously narrows. Milesian colonization began in the 7th century BC. The Bosporan Kingdom was named for the Cimmerian Bosporus rather than for
9460-683: The post- Uruk IV period ." Yet, Lazaridis noted that sample I1635 of Lazaridis et al. (2016) , their Armenian Kura-Araxes sample, carried Y-haplogroup R1 b 1-M415(xM269) (also called R1b1a1b-CTS3187). According to Underhill et al. (2014) the diversification of Z93 and the "early urbanization within the Indus Valley ... occurred at [5,600 years ago] and the geographic distribution of R1a-M780 (Figure 3d ) may reflect this." Poznik et al. (2016) note that "striking expansions" occurred within R1a-Z93 at c. 4,500–4,000 years ago, which "predates by
9570-440: The predominance of northern winds and the water inflow from the rivers; its average speed is 10–20 cm/s, reaching 30–40 cm in the narrowest parts. Although the sea is not subject to tidal variation, there are seasonal changes in the observed sea level of up to 10–20 inches (250–510 mm), caused by seasonal variations in river outflows. The shallowness and low salinity of the sea make it vulnerable to freezing during
9680-505: The propylaea gate that linked the port section with the agora was removed, and the open center of public life was occupied by a palatial dwelling in Roman times for the kings of Bosporus. For the first time there were client kings at Tanais: Sauromates (AD 175-211) and his son Rescuporides (c. AD 220), who both left public inscriptions. In AD 330 Tanais was devastated by the Goths , but the site
9790-660: The river-induced deposits. Whereas the past hydrological expeditions recorded depths of up to 16 metres, more recent ones could not find places deeper than 13.5–14 metres. This might explain the variation in the maximum depths among different sources. The water level fluctuates by some 20 cm over the year due to the snow melts in spring. The Taman Peninsula has about 25 mud volcanoes , most of which are active. Their eruptions are usually quiet, spilling out mud, and such gases as methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide , but are sometimes violent and resemble regular volcanic eruptions. Some of those volcanoes are under water, near
9900-412: The sea bottom is relatively smooth and flat, with the depth gradually increasing toward the middle. Because of the river inflow, water in the sea has low salinity and a high amount of biomass (such as green algae ) that affects the water colour. Abundant plankton result in unusually high fish productivity. The sea shores and spits are low; they are rich in vegetation and bird colonies. The Sea of Azov
10010-439: The sea is the variable salinity – low in the large bays and higher in the open sea, especially near the Kerch Strait. Therefore, the plankton species are distributed inhomogeneously in the Sea of Azov. Although many additional species are brought in from the saltier Black Sea, most of them cannot adjust to the variable salinity of the Sea of Azov, except for the euryhaline species. About 600 species of planktonic algae are known in
10120-472: The sea, which is more saline, hosts three forms of Acartia clausi , as well as Centropages ponticus , meroplankton and larvae of gastropoda , bivalvia and polychaete . Benthos species reside mostly at the sea bottom and include worms, crustaceans , bottom protists , coelenterata , and mollusks . Mollusks account for 60–98% of the invertebrate biomass at the Sea of Azov bottom. There are 183 ichthyofauna species from 112 genera and 55 families in
10230-529: The sea, whose fresh water caused them to typically label it a "swamp" or a "lake". Herodotus (5th century BC) judged it as large as the Black Sea , while the Pseudo-Scylax (4th century BC) thought it about half as large. It was long believed to provide direct communication with the Arctic Ocean . Polybius (2nd century BC) confidently expected that the strait to the Sea of Azov would close in
10340-443: The shallow waters, the development of aquatic life in the Sea of Azov is more characteristic of a lagoon, and the plankton patterns are rather similar in the open sea and near the shores. Despite its shallowness, the water has low transparency, so bottom plants are poorly developed and most algae are of planktonic type. The sea is characterised by high concentrations of organic matter and long blooming periods. Another specific feature of
10450-416: The shores of the peninsula. A major eruption on 6 September 1799, near Golubitskaya stanitsa , lasted about 2 hours and formed a mud island 100 metres in diameter and 2 metres in height; the island was then washed away by the sea. There were similar eruptions in 1862, 1906, 1924, 1950 and 1952. The current vertical profile of the Sea of Azov exhibits oxygenated surface waters and anoxic bottom waters, with
10560-519: The siege was lifted. The second campaign involved both ground forces and the Azov fleet, which was built in Moscow Oblast, Voronezh, Bryansk and other regions between winter 1695 and spring 1696. In April 1696, the army of 75,000 headed by Aleksei Shein moved to Azov by land and by ship via the Don River to Taganrog. In early May, they were joined by another fleet led by Peter I. On 27 May,
10670-453: The southeast Ukraine border and had begun a propaganda war against the Kyiv government. The Russians seized three Ukrainian military vessel as the boats were trying to cross the strait, and captured 24 sailors who were finally released after months of negotiations. On February 24, 2022, Russian forces began shelling Mariupol at the start of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine . By May, with
10780-461: The subclade plays a role in the debate about the origins of Proto-Indo-Europeans . The SNP mutation R-M420 was discovered after R-M17 (R1a1a), which resulted in a reorganization of the lineage in particular establishing a new paragroup (designated R-M420*) for the relatively rare lineages which are not in the R-SRY10831.2 (R1a1) branch leading to R-M17. The genetic divergence of R1a (M420)
10890-520: The then Turkish fortress of Azov defended by a garrison of 7,000. The campaigns were headed by Peter I and aimed to gain Russian access to the Sea of Azov and Black Sea. The first campaign began in the spring of 1695. The Russian army consisted of 31 thousand men and 170 cannons and included selected trained regiments and Cossacks . It reached Azov on 27–28 June and besieged it by land by 5 July. After two unsuccessful assaults on 5 August and 25 September,
11000-471: The trade of the Black Sea , ringed with Greek-dominated ports and entrepots, and third for trade from the impenetrable north, with furs and slaves brought down the Don. Strabo mentions Tanais in his Geography (11.2.2). The site for the city, ruled by an archon , was at the eastern edge of the territory of the kings of Bosporus . A major shift in social emphasis is represented in the archaeological site when
11110-401: The waters of the sea have comparatively low salinity and are almost fresh in places, and also bring in huge volumes of silt and sand. Accumulation of sand and shells results in a smooth and low coastline, as well as in numerous spits and sandbanks. The Sea of Azov is the shallowest sea in the world with an average depth of 7 metres (23 ft) and maximum depth of 14 metres (46 ft); in
11220-416: The winds is water currents . The prevailing current is a counterclockwise swirl due to the westerly and south-westerly winds. Their speed is typically less than 10 cm/s, but can reach 60–70 cm/s for 15–20 m/s winds. In the bays, the flow is largely controlled by the inflow of the rivers and is directed away from the shore. In the Kerch Strait, the flow is normally toward the Black Sea due to
11330-426: The winter. Fast ice bands ranging from 7 km in the north to 1.5 km in the south can occur temporarily at any time from late December to mid-March. Several ships were trapped in ice in 2012 when it froze over. The ice thickness reaches 30–40 centimetres (12–16 in) in most parts of the sea and 60–80 cm in the Taganrog Bay. The ice is often unstable and piles up to the height of several metres. Before
11440-481: Was also important for the transportation of iron ores from the mines of the Kerch peninsula to the processing plant of Azovstal in Mariupol (formerly Zhdanov), Ukraine; this activity stopped after the closure of the mines in the 1990s. Navigation increased after the construction in 1952 of the Volga–Don Canal which connected the Sea of Azov with the Volga River – the most important riverine transport route in
11550-452: Was found in one skeleton from a 14th-century grave field in Usedom , Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The paper by Underhill et al. (2009) also reports a surprisingly high frequency of M458 in some Northern Caucasian populations (18% among Ak Nogai , 7.8% among Qara Nogai and 3.4% among Abazas ). R1a1a1b1a1a (R-L260), commonly referred to as West Slavic or Polish , is a subclade of
11660-814: Was initially regarded as part of a paragroup of R1a*, defined by SRY1532.2 (and understood to always exclude M459 and its synonyms SRY10831.2, M448, L122, and M516). YP4141 later replaced SRY1532.2 – which was found to be unreliable – and the R1a(xR-M459) group was redefined as R1a2. It is relatively unusual, though it has been tested in more than one survey. Sahoo et al. (2006) reported R-SRY1532.2* for 1/15 Himachal Pradesh Rajput samples. Underhill et al. (2009) reported 1/51 in Norway , 3/305 in Sweden , 1/57 Greek Macedonians , 1/150 (or 2/150) Iranians, 2/734 ethnic Armenians , 1/141 Kabardians , 1/121 Omanis , 1/164 in
11770-521: Was occupied continuously up to the second half of the 5th century AD. Increasingly, the channel silted up, probably the result of deforestation, and the center of active life shifted, perhaps to the small city of Azov , halfway to Rostov. The city was refounded around the 14th century by the Venetians . Later it was acquired by the maritime Republic of Genoa , who administered it 1332-1471 as Tana nel Mare Maggiore, being an important place for trade with
11880-653: Was occupied long before the Milesians founded an emporium there. A necropolis of over 300 burial kurgans near the ancient city shows that the site had already been occupied since the Bronze Age , and that kurgan burials continued through Greek and into the Roman era . Greek traders seem to have been meeting nomads in the district as early as the 7th century BC without a formal, permanent settlement. Greek colonies had two kinds of origins, apoikiai of citizens from
11990-458: Was opened in May 2018. This is a major geopolitical issue since shipping vessels over a certain size can not pass under the span. Since then Russia has been accused of interdicting shipping through the Kerch Strait. The sea is relatively small and nearly surrounded by land. Therefore, its climate is continental with cold winters and hot and dry summers. In autumn and winter, the weather is affected by
12100-569: Was partly due to extremely high biological productivity of the sea, which was stimulated by the strong supply of nutrients from numerous rivers feeding the sea, low water salinity, ample heating due to shallow waters and long vegetation period. However, diversity and numbers have been reduced by artificial reduction of river flow (construction of dams), over-fishing and water-intense large-scale cultivation of cotton, causing increasing levels of pollution . Fish hauls have rapidly decreased and in particular anchovy fisheries have collapsed. Because of
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