Origin of the Alans

[Alanus]

Martin,

I agree with the greater stance of your hypothesis, and see no reason to quote from your post. The confusion of R1 markers occurred within early speculation. Klyosov, a professional in the field, phrased it this way, "Yamnaya, Catacomb, and neighboring cultures apparently shared [aka- diffused] both R1b and R1a, albeit in different time periods-- R1b before 5,000 ybp, R1a after 4,500 ybp." (A.A. Klyosov, Ancient History of the Arbins, Bearers of Haplogroup R1b, internet PDF.)

As such, R1b occurs in the Bell Beaker group (Neolithic) and predates the intrusion of the Yamnaya Culture (Early Bronze Age) into Europe and its associated cultures across Asia, where we find R1a as the heavier marker. (I prefer "intrusion" rather than "mass migration.) One BlogSpot's title really phrases it bluntly, "First R1b from Neolithic Europe... and it aint from the Steppe."
http://eurogenes.blogspot.com/2012/05/fi...nd-it.html

Our concern is tracking the migration of two specific Saka tribes-- the Yuezhi and Wusun-- both of which carried a Europoid appearance with a healthy Asiatic infusion. The two tribes were not culturally identical, nor were they exact matches to the Pazyrk and Ukok cultures of the Altai. They did however, share the same customs and religion of the Altai groups. They fit Herodotus' "Arimaspi" perfectly. Both tribes were originally adjacent to the Altai, living just southeast. The Wusun graves are typically pit inhumations, while the Yuezhi used "podboi" catacombs. Both tribes retained customs going straight back to Yamnaya and Catacomb cultures.

Anyway, thanks for the input. We'll look into Strabo's "Asii" and the "Kangju problem" next, simply because this amalgam with the BMC Saka apparently created a new steppe entity to the northwest.