Overview
J1-FGC9350 belongs to the highland-rooted J1-Z1828 complex and traces its earliest ancestry to upland agro-pastoral populations occupying the Armenian Highlands, eastern Anatolia and northern Zagros. These groups practiced transhumant herding strategies centered on high-altitude pastures, fortified settlements and early metallurgical traditions. Their demographic and cultural patterns contributed directly to the processes underlying the rise of the Kura-Araxes cultural horizon. Throughout the Bronze and Iron Ages, FGC9350-bearing groups maintained demographic continuity in mountainous regions where geographic isolation supported stable microclade formation. The lineage’s downstream phylogenetic structure shows multiple localized highland subbranches, often tied to specific valleys, plateau systems and long-standing agro-pastoral communities. Later archaeological and historical signals indicate persistence of these lineages through the medieval period.