Overview
J2a-PF5171 is an early-formed internal trunk within the J2a-L26 phylogeny and is closely related to the PF5174 and PF5177 branches. Together, these clades represent a triad of early J2a lineages that diversified in the highland–piedmont landscapes of eastern Anatolia, northern Mesopotamia and the Zagros forelands. PF5171 captures a foundational demographic layer that predates the clear separation of strongly highland versus strongly coastal J2a trajectories. Its carriers likely belonged to small, seasonally mobile agro-pastoral communities that frequented upland pastures in summer and river valleys or sheltered basins in winter.
During the early Holocene, PF5171-bearing populations appear to have been involved in the spread of early herding technologies, simple irrigation and terrace cultivation in the Taurus–Zagros interface. As neighboring populations experienced similar innovations, PF5171 lineages were drawn into the emerging network of Neolithic and Chalcolithic societies. The clade’s later history suggests participation in both highland interaction spheres (such as those that underpinned Kura–Araxes) and lowland trade circuits that connected northern Mesopotamia to the Levant and Anatolia.
Geographic distribution
Today PF5171 and its descendants are found primarily in southeastern and eastern Anatolia, northern Iraq, northern Syria and the Armenian Highlands. The densest diversity is typically seen in regions close to the upper Tigris and Euphrates watersheds, and in upland basins that historically hosted long-lived villages and fortified hilltop settlements. In Armenia and neighboring areas of the south Caucasus, PF5171 coexists with multiple other J2a highland lineages and with J1-Z1828, R1b-Z2103 and G2a.
Further afield, PF5171-derived haplotypes appear in western and central Anatolia, in the Levant (including Lebanon and inland Syria), in Cyprus and in the Aegean world (Greece, various islands, coastal Thrace). These distributions trace the incorporation of PF5171-bearing groups into Neolithic farming streams and later Bronze Age maritime and overland trade networks. Occasional instances in Iran, Central Asia and South Asia represent later expansions of West Asian ancestry eastward, whether via Iranian-speaking pastoralists, imperial expansion or cross-regional mercantile activity.
Ancient DNA
- Archaeogenetic data from Pre-Pottery Neolithic sites in southeastern Anatolia and northern Mesopotamia suggest the presence of J2a lineages that in modern phylogenies cluster around the PF5171–PF5174–PF5177 radiation.
- Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age individuals from eastern Anatolia and the Armenian Highlands show J2a chromosomes that likely descend from early PF5171/PF5174/PF5177 ancestors, forming part of the paternal core of early highland societies.
- Kura–Araxes-related populations in the south Caucasus and eastern Anatolia present J2a diversity compatible with PF5171-derived branches, pointing to continuity from Neolithic highland forebears.
- Later Bronze and Iron Age individuals in the northern Levant and upper Mesopotamia occasionally carry J2a lineages that can be linked, via modern trees, to PF5171’s descendant clusters.
Phylogeny & subclades
Within the PF* cluster of early J2a-L26 trunks, PF5171 is phylogenetically adjacent to PF5174 and PF5177. It appears to represent either an ancestral node from which some PF5174/PF5177-derived lineages later diverged or a close sibling lineage that shared a similar geographic cradle. Its age estimates, overlapping with those of other PF trunks, place it firmly within the first wave of early Holocene J2a diversification. The internal structure of PF5171 is still being refined but already shows clear regional differentiation: some branches are strongly tied to southeastern Anatolia, others to Armenia and the south Caucasus, and still others to the northern Levant and eastern Mediterranean.
- J2a-PF5171* – basal or near-basal lineages in southeastern Anatolia and northern Mesopotamia
- PF5171 > highland clusters in the Armenian Highlands and south Caucasus
- PF5171 > northern Levantine and upper Orontes/Euphrates branches reflecting early agro-pastoral expansions
- PF5171 > Aegean/eastern Mediterranean offshoots integrated into Bronze Age maritime networks
- PF5171 > scattered downstream clusters in Iran, Central Asia and South Asia
Notes & context
J2a-PF5171 is critical for understanding the ‘sibling’ relationships among early J2a highland–piedmont lineages. In a coarse-resolution view, PF5171, PF5174 and PF5177 together form a structural macro-branch highlighting the demographic importance of eastern Anatolia and northern Mesopotamia in the early Holocene. In a fine-grained atlas, distinguishing PF5171 as its own trunk node allows one to trace separate but interconnected demographic streams within this broader highland complex.
References & external links