Overview
Q-BZ180 is a prominent downstream branch of Q-YP771 that has been directly identified in both Neolithic Cis Baikal individuals and Early Xiongnu burials. This makes it one of the clearest genetic links between prehistoric Altai Baikal hunter fisher communities and later steppe nomad polities. The clade represents a deep paternal layer that persisted in the core area of the eastern steppe and was incorporated into Iron Age confederations that contributed to the ethnogenesis of Turkic and related peoples. Because Q-BZ180 spans both early Neolithic contexts and historical nomadic empires, it is a key marker for long term continuity in the Altai and Baikal region.
Geographic distribution
Modern carriers of Q-BZ180 are found in Central and eastern Asia as well as in some Balkan and Middle Eastern populations. YFull and FTDNA data include samples from Mongolia, Russia (Cis Baikal and southern Siberia), Central Asia and the Balkans. The presence of Q-BZ180 in Mongolian and Siberian individuals reflects its original core distribution, while occurrences in Bulgaria and Syria likely trace back to the mobility of steppe groups and their descendants during the first millennium BCE and the early medieval period. The geographic pattern is consistent with an origin in the Baikal or Altai region followed by wide ranging expansions along steppe corridors.
Ancient DNA
- Ancient DNA databases list Q-BZ180 in a Neolithic Cis Baikal individual (for example sample irk030), demonstrating the presence of this branch in hunter fisher communities around Lake Baikal roughly 6,000 years ago.
- Q-BZ180 has also been reported in Early Xiongnu burials in Mongolia, linking the same paternal lineage to the first historically documented empire of the eastern steppe.
- These findings indicate that Q-BZ180 persisted in the Altai Baikal region across several millennia and was integrated into successive waves of mobile pastoralist societies that influenced later Turkic and Mongolic populations.
Phylogeny & subclades
On YFull, Q-BZ180 is a child of Q-YP771 and is defined by several BZ180 series SNPs. Age estimates place its formation around 7,400 years before present with a TMRCA around 6,000 years. The branch shows internal splits that correspond to different regional clusters in Eurasia, including a Baikal core and more western offshoots. FTDNA Discover similarly treats Q-BZ180 as a major subbranch of Q-L330 derived lineages.
- Q-BZ180* (Baikal and Altai core lineage)
- Q-BZ180 regional subclades in Central Asia and eastern Europe
Notes & context
Q-BZ180 is one of the few haplogroup Q branches for which we have both early Neolithic and Iron Age steppe ancient DNA evidence. Its continuity from Cis Baikal Neolithic foragers to Xiongnu period nomads and to some modern Turkic and Mongolic speaking populations makes it a highly informative marker for studying the deep history of the eastern steppe. It also illustrates how specific Q lineages participated in the formation of steppe confederations that later interacted with and partly shaped early Turkic groups.
References & external links