Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 12 (ANI): A Banaras Hindu University (BHU) geneticist has highlighted that the ancient relationship between the Indus Valley and Mesopotamian civilisations was not limited to the exchange of goods, but also involved a genetic connection between the populations of the two regions.
Professor Gyaneshwer Chaubey, a geneticist from BHU, made the remarks during a lecture on ancient DNA at the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) Varanasi campus.
Chaubey delivered the lecture on Friday, where he explained how ancient DNA analysis is providing new evidence about the movement and connections of people between ancient civilisations.
He said archaeological evidence has long established contact between the Indus Valley and Mesopotamian civilisations. References to ‘Meluhha’ in Mesopotamian texts, along with Indus seals and beads discovered in Mesopotamia, confirm the existence of trade links between the two regions.
However, ancient DNA analysis has now indicated that it was not only goods that moved along these routes, but people were connected as well.
Chaubey detailed a research project conducted in collaboration with Polish scientists, involving DNA analysis of teeth from four individuals found at Tell Ashara, ancient Terqa, and Tell Masaikh, ancient Kar-Ashurnasirpal, in Syria’s Middle Euphrates Valley. The remains date from approximately 2650 BCE to 700 CE.
The analysis identified South Asian mitochondrial haplogroups M4b1, M49 and M61. These lineages are ancient to the Indian subcontinent and, while virtually absent in modern-day Syria, are present in India, Pakistan and the Himalayan region.
Chaubey said the individuals could have been members of merchant families who travelled along established trade routes or could have been travellers from even earlier migrations.
Subsequent studies on ancient genomes from Rakhigarhi and the ‘Indus Periphery’ have also corroborated the genetic link between South Asia and West Asia.
“DNA is a history book that cannot be erased. While trade was already established through archaeology, ancient DNA now authenticates the contact between peoples. This connection was not merely about commodities; it involved human lineage as well,” he said.
The event was presided over by Professor Satish Kumar, Director-in-Charge of the NFSU Varanasi campus. He said the institute is committed to providing world-class facilities to its students and is grooming a new generation of forensic science professionals in Kashi.
He said students are being given opportunities to engage with modern laboratories, research and global-standard education.
Students and faculty members attended the lecture, followed by a question-and-answer session that focused on ancient DNA technology and its utility in forensic science.
Chaubey noted that forensic science is no longer confined to criminal investigations, adding that the same techniques are now helping researchers understand the connections and identities of ancient civilisations.
Expressing gratitude to the guest speaker, Prof. Satish Kumar said such lectures provide students with an opportunity to think beyond the confines of the laboratory.
The NFSU Varanasi campus currently operates from Jalhupur, while a permanent campus has been proposed at Shahanshahpur in the Rajatalab area. Prof. Kumar reiterated the institute’s commitment to providing students with world-class facilities and a robust research environment. (ANI)
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