Overview
J1-FGC10964 is a downstream component of the highland-centered J1-Z1828 lineage and likely formed among agro-pastoral populations inhabiting the Armenian Highlands, eastern Anatolia and the northern Zagros. These groups practiced upland agriculture, vertical transhumance and early metallurgy, maintaining fortified settlements characteristic of highland West Asian cultural systems. Archaeological patterns strongly suggest links to cultural expansions associated with the Kura-Araxes tradition. During the Bronze and Iron Ages, FGC10964 populations remained geographically stable within mountainous terrain, where ecological barriers limited gene flow and reinforced long-term demographic continuity. Downstream branches exhibit regionally concentrated microclades. Medieval Armenian and eastern Anatolian populations preserve direct continuity with ancestral FGC10964 lineages.