Most recent investigation of peopling of Bosnia and Herzegovina: DNA approach

Abstract

Many historical episodes marked Bosnia and Herzegovina as a significant ethnic crossroads, which makes it a very interesting site for various population studies. The first stages of these complex investigations were based on observations of numerous phenotype markers. The following phase, which was relatively brief, was dominated by the use of different cytogenetic markers. Finally, at the beginning of this century, the molecular-genetic diversity of the BiH population became the focus of modern research. Autosomal and Y-STR markers, together with mitochondrial haplogroup (Hg) diversity were initially used in the examination of isolated groups, as well as the whole population of modern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The most recent study describes the distribution of Y-chromosome haplogroups in the three main ethnic groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and suggests a preliminary hypothesis for the process of peopling this area.

Keywords

• molecular markers
• Y-chromosome
• Last Glacial Maximum
• Paleolithic
• Neolithic