Overview
J2a-Y16322 is a highland-centered lineage within the J2a-M67 radiation and is associated with the long-term population structure of the eastern Anatolian highlands, the Armenian plateau and adjacent upland zones of northern Mesopotamia. Its formation aligns with the stabilization of mixed farming and herding communities across highland valleys during the early Holocene.
The Bronze Age saw Y16322 integrated into cultural systems connected with Upper Tigris fortified settlements, early metallurgy zones and long-distance mountain trade routes. Downstream clades show restricted dispersal patterns and deep continuity in upland microregions. The lineage persisted through Iron Age and classical periods, remaining tied to culturally conservative highland populations with limited mobility.
Geographic distribution
Armenia, eastern Turkey, northwest Iran, northern Iraq; low presence in Georgia.
Ancient DNA
- Bronze Age Armenian plateau individuals carry upstream J2a lineages linked with Y16322.
- Chalcolithic Upper Tigris samples show continuity with ancestral branches.
- Eastern Anatolian Bronze Age sites contain paternal signals aligned with this lineage.
- Iron Age highland burials reveal downstream derivatives.
- Classical era highland communities maintain genetic continuity.
Phylogeny & subclades
A highland Mesopotamian and eastern Anatolian branch of J2a-M67 with deep regional diversification.
- Y16322*
- eastern Anatolian subbranches
- Armenian plateau derivatives
Notes & context
Y16322 helps reconstruct highland population stability between the Chalcolithic and classical periods.
References & external links