Overview
Haplogroup C1 is a deeply divergent branch of haplogroup C that reflects some of the earliest expansions of modern humans along the Eurasian coastal arc. Evidence from archaeogenetics suggests that C1 lineages played a role in Upper Paleolithic populations across Southeast Asia, East Asia and parts of Oceania. Over time, C1 became fragmented into several regionally isolated sublineages, each preserved in small, often marginalized populations or in ancient DNA rather than broad modern distributions.
Geographic distribution
Modern instances of C1 are rare. C1a survives in Japan and parts of East Asia, C1b in Australia and Oceania, and C1c in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean coast. Most C1 branches today occur at very low frequencies except in historically isolated groups.
Ancient DNA
- Upper Paleolithic remains in East Asia exhibit C1-related haplotypes.
- Jōmon period individuals in Japan carry C1a, confirming long-term regional continuity.
- Early Holocene Southeast Asian remains show C1 basal signatures.
Phylogeny & subclades
C1 subdivides into C1a, C1b and C1c. These subclades represent some of the earliest stable regional paternal lineages outside Africa.
Notes & context
C1 is essential for understanding ancient Asian and Australo-Melanesian paternal diversity.
References & external links