Genghis Khan: Warrior and sex god
Updated on 20 May 2007
Mongolian warlord Genghis Khan was notorious for his sexual as well as his territorial conquests.
But the extent to which he captured women's hearts has now been revealed with research suggesting that he has 16 million Asian descendants.
Scientists traced a genetic trail believed to originate from the ruthless leader, who established the biggest empire the world as ever seen.
The work, conducted by Russian and Polish scientists, continued an investigation started three years ago.
Then, scientists at the Russian Academy of Science in Magadan discovered a cluster of closely related lines of Y-chromosomes, which are handed down from father to son.
The cluster led back to Mongolia about a thousand years ago, and its distribution closely matched the boundaries of the ancient Mongol empire.
It was assumed that these Y-chromosomes belonged to Genghis Khan and his offspring. Due to their social status they had more than the usual opportunities to father children - and according to historical records, seized them enthusiastically.
The new research focused on the Y-chromosomes of 1,437 men, representatives of 18 ethnic groups in the Mongolian territory. They consisted of Altai Kazakhs, Altai Khizis, Teleuts, Khakasses, Shor, Tuvinians, Todjins, Tofalars, Soyotes, Buryats, Khamnigans, Evenks, Mongolians, Kalmyks, Tajiks, Kurds, Persians and Russians.
The scientists discovered a group of male lines possessing a common ancestor, thought to be Genghis Khan.
More than a third of Genghis Khan's putative descendants lived in Mongolia, the researchers found.
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