>>18073667
In fact, the Caucasian Alans (not to be confused with the Volga Sarmatians) were a disparate population. The mountainous portion were simply assimilated Kartvelian aborigines (modern Ossetians have far less IE ancestry than Chechens and Dagestanis), while the steppe Alans were assimilated by the Kipchak invasion and simply adopted a Turkic language (modern Karachay-Balkars). It is noteworthy that their R1a (Z2123) differs from the R1a common among the neighboring Nogais (Z2125), who appear to be true descendants of the Kipchak people.