Overview
Q-L245 is a major West Asian branch of haplogroup Q1b-M378 and is one of the best known Q lineages associated with Jewish, Levantine and Iranian populations. Age estimates place the origin of L245 in the early Holocene, but its main population expansions occurred during the Bronze and Iron Ages, when complex societies, long distance trade and pastoral networks linked the Near East with Iran and the Caucasus. Q-L245 is especially prominent in multiple Jewish communities, including Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, Kurdish and Yemenite Jews, often reflecting ancient founder effects. Its distribution outside Jewish groups indicates deeper roots in the Near Eastern and Iranian sphere prior to diaspora expansions.
Geographic distribution
Q-L245 occurs at moderate to high frequencies in several Jewish groups. Studies of Ashkenazi Levite lines have shown notable representation of Q-L245 associated clades, while Kurdish and Iranian Jews also carry this lineage. In non Jewish populations, Q-L245 appears in Iran, eastern Anatolia, the Caucasus, Iraq, and parts of the Arabian Peninsula. It is rare but present in southern Europe and the Balkans, likely reflecting Levantine or Anatolian mediated gene flow. The pattern supports an origin in the ancient Near East with subsequent diffusion across West Asia.
Ancient DNA
- No securely confirmed ancient DNA sample has been assigned specifically to Q-L245, but its formation time overlaps with the Bronze Age demographic expansions in the Near East and Iran.
- The presence of multiple L245 derived clades in distinct Jewish communities suggests that the lineage was already established among West Asian populations before Jewish ethnogenesis.
- Comparative studies show that downstream Ashkenazi Levite associated subclades share a relatively recent TMRCA consistent with historical founder effects.
Phylogeny & subclades
Q-L245 sits under Q-M378 and forms a structured cluster with several downstream branches. Major internal nodes include Q-YP1035, Q-YP745 and additional Jewish associated clusters on YFull and FTDNA Discover. These lineages display parallel micro founder events among Middle Eastern and Jewish groups. The branching topology shows moderate depth without extremely star like radiation, consistent with multiple population bottlenecks and expansions across West Asia.
- Q-L245* (basal West Asian group)
- Q-YP1035
- Q-YP745
- Jewish associated subclusters with shared Levite ancestry
Notes & context
Q-L245 is the most widely studied Q lineage in Jewish genetic genealogy. Its distribution highlights complex interactions between Iranian, Levantine and Arabian communities over several millennia. Because it contains multiple high resolution subclusters identified in surname and Levite projects, it is one of the most genealogically informative branches of Q in West Eurasia.
References & external links