Overview
Q-M378 is the dominant branch of Q1b and represents a major West and South Asian paternal lineage. Unlike the American and Siberian Q clades, M378 shows its highest frequencies in regions spanning Iran, the Caucasus, Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of northern India. This lineage reflects complex demographic layers formed during the Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age, including movements associated with Iranian-speaking populations, Semitic-speaking communities and later historic expansions.
Geographic distribution
Common in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern India, the Levant and the Caucasus. Moderate frequencies appear among Jewish diaspora populations and among some Central Asian ethnic groups with West Asian admixture.
Ancient DNA
- Ancient Near Eastern genomes from Neolithic and Chalcolithic Iran show paternal components compatible with early Q1b-M378 diversification.
- Patterns of regional continuity link M378 to Bronze Age Iranian-speaking cultural expansions.
- Some Iron Age Near Eastern genomes contain M378-related ancestry, supporting long-term presence in the western Iranian Plateau.
Phylogeny & subclades
Major downstream clades include Y2200, L938, F1251 and L527. Each forms a distinct geographic and cultural subcluster within West and South Asia.
- Q-Y2200
- Q-L938
- Q-F1251
- Q-L527
Notes & context
Q-M378 is the primary Q lineage in West and South Asia and plays a key role in reconstructing Iranian, Jewish, and Indo-Iranian paternal histories.
References & external links