Updated: 10/02/2022

Contents

  1. Language
  2. Culture
  3. Phenotype
  4. Genetics
  5. Conclusion


Introduction

The Caucasus forms a geographical bridge between Europe and West Asia. It has historically served as a point of contact for the races of each continent and is relatively ethnically diverse as a result. Depending on who you ask, the region is either classified as European, West Asian (or Middle Eastern), or its own distinct entity. This article briefly summarizes the cultural, phenotypic, and genetic evidence to provide a conclusive classification.

1. Language

Linguistic groups in the Caucasus are closely linked to genetic ancestry, as they are in most parts of the world.

Speakers of native Caucasian languages can be divided into three groups:

  • Kartvelians
    — Georgians
  • Northwest Caucasians
    — Abkhaz, Abaza, Circassians
  • Northeast Caucasians
    — Avars, Dargins, Laks, Chechens, etc.

The region is also home to Indo-Europeans:

  • Armenians
  • Greeks
  • Various Iranic-speakers
    — Ossetians, Kurds, Talysh, etc.

Turkic peoples:

  • Kipchaks
    — Balkars, Kumyks, Karachays, Nogais, etc.
  • Oghuz
    — Azeris, Turkmens

And Mongols (from Mongolia):

  • Kalmyks


2. Culture

Although the Caucasus is culturally diverse, its inhabitants tend to identify as exclusively Caucasian, rather than European or Middle Eastern. That being said, no nation is an island. The languages, religions, and cultures of Caucasian ethnic groups have been influenced by their non-Caucasian neighbors, and most show at least some cultural influence from both Europe and the Middle East.

Due to the region’s diversity, cultural influences can appear chaotic and difficult to classify. There are far too many ethnic groups to summarize in one paragraph, but some broad trends are as follows: The Southwest Caucasus is overwhelmingly Christian, whereas the North is predominantly Muslim. As a result, countries bordering Europe are more religiously aligned with the Middle East, while those bordering the Middle East are more religiously aligned with Europe. A somewhat paradoxical situation that will undoubtedly cause political problems in the future. The eastern regions of the Caucasus are home to various Turkic/Altaic peoples who practice Islam and are influenced by and aligned with other Turanic peoples.


3. Phenotype

In terms of phenotype, North Caucasians tend to look more European than South Caucasians. White skin and light eyes are common among Dargins, Chechens, Circassians, etc., but they are predominantly dark-haired. Their facial features can range from “Nordic” to “Iranian-but-with-White-skin.” Many North Caucasians would not look out of place in Europe.

Ossetians

Abkhaz

Circassians

Chechens

Dargins


South Caucasians tend to look more Middle Eastern, with darker complexions and more stereotypically Eastern facial morphology. However, European-like phenotypes can still be found in the region.

Georgians

Armenians

Talysh

Azeris


Turkic peoples, such as the Azeris (above) and Nogai (below) have clear East Asian influence.


Finally, the Kalmyks are essentially just Mongolians.

4. Genetics

Although many Caucasians can visually pass as European, principal component analysis shows that the entire Caucasian population is genetically distinct from all Europeans. They cluster more closely to modern Iranian and Turkish Anatolian peoples.

Autosomally, North Caucasians descend from three main populations:

  • Caucasus Hunter-Gatherers (CHG, 45%)
  • Anatolian Neolithic Farmers (ANF, 30%)
  • Eastern European Hunter-Gatherers (EHG, 13.5%)

All three of these ancient populations contributed significant ancestry to modern Europeans.


Caucasians also have additional influence from Iranian Neolithic Farmers, Levantine Natufians, and East Asians. Iranian and Levantine ancestry peaks among Southern Caucasians, while Turkic Caucasians have increased East Asian ancestry.

Caucasus language speakers:


Indo-European speakers:


Turkic speakers:


Male haplogroups (lineages) G and J2 are among the most common in the Caucasus, demonstrating their links to ancient Anatolia and Iran, as well as modern Europe.


Finally, with regard to pigmentation genetics, CHG, ANF, and EHG all had light skin pigmentation within the range of modern Europeans. So, it makes perfect sense that people who descend predominantly from these populations would have similar pigmentation to modern Europeans.

5. Conclusion

So, are Caucasian people European or Middle Eastern? If we were to judge solely by genetic clustering, they should be classified as Middle Eastern. However, when we take phenotype and autosomal DNA into account, they are best described as an intermediate population between Europeans and Middle Easterners, and thus uniquely Caucasian.

In this respect, they are similar to Central Asian Pamiri Tajiks and Ashkenazi Jews. Both groups genetically cluster away from Europeans but often display European phenotypes due to their shared European ancestry. If I was forced to assign Caucasians to either European or Middle Eastern, I would pick the latter. Perhaps they could be described as “white-skinned West Asians.”

Pamiri men with European phenotypes: