Overview
G2a10 represents an uncommon but phylogenetically valuable early branch within the G2a radiation. The lineage appears to have developed in the interior highlands of western Iran and the regions bordering the central Zagros. These areas hosted some of the earliest pre-agricultural and proto-agricultural communities of the early Holocene. Archaeological research in the central Zagros has documented a long sequence of continuity extending from late glacial foragers to early Neolithic villagers, and G2a10 fits well within this historical framework. The lineage likely formed among populations that practiced an economy combining seasonal mobility, small scale plant cultivation and early experimentation with herd management.
G2a10 did not participate in the major agricultural dispersals into Europe. Instead, its demographic trajectory remained restricted to the highland zones of the Near East. Its descendants today reflect a pattern of deep continuity among populations living in rugged and ecologically diverse regions where small social groups could preserve paternal lines over many millennia.
Geographic distribution
G2a10 appears most commonly in western Iran, particularly in the Luristan and central Zagros region. Additional occurrences extend into northern Iraq, especially in the upper Tigris and Diyala basins. Rare examples occur in eastern Turkey near the Taurus foothills. The lineage is almost entirely absent from Europe, the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula with the exception of isolated modern individuals whose ancestry likely reflects historical rather than prehistoric movements.
Its present distribution aligns closely with ancient refugial centers in the Zagros, where environmental diversity supported persistent human occupation since the late Upper Paleolithic.
Ancient DNA
- Pre-Pottery Neolithic highland individuals from western Iran exhibit upstream markers compatible with early G2a10 ancestry.
- Chalcolithic samples from the central Zagros sometimes show SNP patterns similar to the ancestral branches of G2a10, suggesting long term continuity in the region.
- No ancient individuals from Anatolia or Europe have been assigned to G2a10 or closely related branches, which supports the view that this lineage remained regionally constrained.
Phylogeny & subclades
G2a10 occupies a position among the early internal radiations of G2a. Its structure indicates several shallow downstream branches, each of which appears tied to specific highland populations in Iran and northern Iraq. The pattern is consistent with repeated micro founder events rather than rapid expansion. These phylogenetic features help reconstruct the deep framework of G2a diversification and illustrate the demographic stability of certain Early Holocene communities.
- G2a10* basal
- central Zagros microclades
- Taurus foothills microbranches
- northern Mesopotamian derived clusters
Notes & context
G2a10 is important because it preserves a unique snapshot of paternal diversity associated with early agricultural experimentation in western Iran. Including this lineage in the atlas adds depth to the reconstruction of early West Asian population history, especially in regions that did not contribute heavily to European Neolithic ancestry.
References & external links