Ulaanzuukh culture
Bronze Age archaeological culture in eastern Mongolia
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Through Saka
Genetic profile
The genetic profile of individuals belonging to this culture is virtually identical to the profile of Slab Grave culture individuals, which is consistent with the hypothesis that the Slab Grave culture emerged from the Ulaanzuukh. Genetically, the populations of the Ulaanzuukh culture were rather homogeneous, and part of the Ancient Northeast Asians (ANA). In a recent study, they have been shown to have a purely Northeast Asian profile (nearly 100% ANA), with one outlier having a western Altai_MLBA profile. The Ulaanzuukh culture was genetically distinct from the Deer stone culture, located in western and northern Mongolia.
The Ulaanzuukh and Slab Grave culture individuals cluster closely together and are collectively referred to as the "Ulaanzuukh_SlabGrave genetic cluster". The later Xiongnu are inferred to have formed via the merger of Eastern Saka (Chandman culture) and the local Ancient Northeast Asian, Ulaanzuukh-Slab Grave culture, which corresponds with the presence of both Iranian and Turkic languages among them. The analysis of the ancient genome of Empress Ashina, a ruler of the clan of the Göktürks, was shown to display close genetic affinities with the Slab Grave and Ulaanzuukh culture remains.
According to a 2023 study, Ulaanzuukh individuals are adequately modeled as having a 24.5% contribution from Khovsgol_LBA although some outlier individuals have even higher inputs from them. Khovsgol_LBA has been previously described as being a tripartite mixture of Early Neolithic Baikalians, Altai hunter-gatherers and Sintashta_MLBA-related populations.
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Influences
The Ulaanzuukh culture may have contributed to the transfer of the chariot and weapon technologies and designs to Shang dynasty China, which originated with the Deer stones culture of the Mongolian plateau. Daggers found in Ulaanzuukh graves have broadly similar designs to those of the Deer stones culture, with curved blades and pommels decorated with the heads of animals or with "jingles", which are key design elements adopted by the Shang dynasty for their weaponery.