>>17805572
5/5
These individuals, regardless of their genetic origins, were often buried in kurgans that over time formed clusters. Interestingly, these kurgans were not continuations of those built before 4000 BCE, but rather were consciously chosen by communities after that date. This suggests a discontinuity, but once constructed, these clusters of kurgans continued to develop for hundreds of years, until the Yamnaya period.
This does not mean that there was ethnic homogeneity or continuity, only a “continuity of place.” Without a direct connection between ancestors, we are left to speculate that the Y-hg R1b-M269 individuals moved from somewhere between the Volga and Don rivers. Perhaps they came from groups that used Repin pottery, but did not continue to use this pottery in their new contexts

Around 3000 BCE, the Majkop system collapsed, and the Yamnaya groups and their “Catacomb” descendants took control of the northern Caucasus region. It is likely that they benefited from years of trade and knowledge exchange. It remains to be seen whether the Yamnaya are truly descended from individuals like KST-1 or NV3003, but these are the closest clues we have.