Overview
J1-FGC9674 is a downstream element of the highland-rooted J1-Z1828 complex and originated among agro-pastoral communities inhabiting the Armenian Highlands, northwest Iran and eastern Anatolia. These highland populations engaged in transhumant herding cycles, early metallurgical production and inter-valley exchange systems that contributed to the cultural infrastructure preceding the Kura-Araxes expansion. Throughout the Bronze and Iron Ages, populations carrying FGC9674 remained concentrated in upland basins and mountainous ecozones where geographic barriers encouraged localized microclade formation. The lineage’s downstream structure demonstrates long-term demographic continuity, with several subbranches persisting into the medieval period. Archaeogenetic evidence repeatedly confirms the deep-rooted presence of these populations in the highlands of West Asia.