16 Hasanlu IA samples 23andme format

The Mannaeans were an ancient people who flourished in the northwestern regions of Iran, particularly around Lake Urmia, during the Iron Age.

The Mannaeans emerged around the 9th century BCE and maintained their independence for several centuries through diplomacy, trade, and occasional warfare. Archaeological evidence, including inscriptions and fortified settlements, suggests that the Mannaeans developed a relatively advanced society characterized by agriculture, metalworking, and local governance through a network of city-states and tribal confederations.

The Mannaean language is poorly attested and remains unclassified, though it likely belonged to the Hurro-Urartian, Armenian, or a Northwest Iranian linguistic substrate, reflecting the complex ethnic landscape of the Zagros region. Their culture exhibited both Iranian and Hurrian-Urartian influences, illustrating their position at a crossroads of civilizations.

A notable Mannaean ruler mentioned in Assyrian records is Iranzu, who engaged in both warfare and diplomacy with neighboring empires. By the late 7th century BCE, the Mannaean kingdom gradually declined and was absorbed by the rising Median Empire.

For this video, I have gathered the raw genomes of 16 mannaeans from the site of hasanlu and analyzed their genomes with my Trait Predictor tool for DNA analysis.