Overview
J2a-Y16005 is a structured branch of the J2a-M67 highland expansion and is linked with populations living between the Armenian highlands, eastern Anatolia and northern Mesopotamia. Its formation aligns with the consolidation of early Holocene highland agricultural systems, where fortified settlement patterns, early metallurgy and seasonal pastoral mobility shaped population structure. Y16005 appears to descend from communities offset from the main Kura Araxes demographic center, although showing connections to similar upland cultural traditions. By the Bronze Age, Y16005-bearing lineages were part of the tightly interconnected demographic sphere linking the Upper Euphrates basin with the Armenian uplands. Downstream substructure reflects localized expansions in mountainous regions rather than large scale coastal dispersion, producing a stable highland footprint well into the Iron Age and later historic periods. Contemporary frequencies suggest long-term persistence in high-altitude agricultural communities.