FOLLOWING THE SUN
Études balkaniques (Sofia) 2025, N 1, DOI: https://doi.org/10.62761/645.EB.LXI1.05
Svetoslav STAMOV 
Independent Scholar, Sofia, Bulgaria
Abstract: We propose that European Megalithic societies emerged as a stress response to Yamna equestrian intrusions, characterized by god-kings who claimed divine solar lineage through ritualized incestuous marriages. Through analysis of ancient DNA evidence and comparative anthropology, we demonstrate that megalithic builders across Europe shared distinct genetic markers (I2a haplogroup) indicating hunter-gatherer ancestry, differentiating them from the predominant Neolithic farming populations. We present evidence for maritime based dispersal of Megalithic culture across the Mediterranean from west to East, revealing a pattern inverse to Yamna migrations. We establish that Iron Age megalithic monuments in southeastern Bulgaria represent a terminal phase of Mediterranean megalithic culture, suggesting significant demographic impact of maritime populations on local Thracian communities. Our findings indicate that the emergence of Orphic religion in Thrace resulted from a synthesis of three distinct traditions: Neolithic sun worship, Yamna equestrian culture, and maritime megalithic beliefs.
Keywords: Thracians, Ancient DNA, Megalithic Culture, Yamna, Neolithic Farmers