Overview
Q-Y2200 is a South Central Asian branch of Q1b-M378 that represents an independent diversification event separate from Q-L245 and Q-BZ3900. Its distribution suggests strong ties to populations inhabiting the Hindu Kush, northern Indian subcontinent and southern Central Asia. The formation age places its origins around the early to mid Holocene, while its internal branching points toward later demographic pulses linked to the rise of settled societies and the interaction zones between Iranic, Indo Aryan and Tibeto Burman populations.
Geographic distribution
Q-Y2200 is documented in Pakistan, India, Nepal and Afghanistan, especially among groups in the Indus basin, Punjab, Gujarat, Kashmir and the Himalayan foothills. It occurs at low frequency but shows structured regional subclades in South Asia. The lineage also appears sporadically in Iran and Central Asia. The geographic spread implies a long term presence in the cultural exchange sphere between South Asia and the Iranian plateau.
Ancient DNA
- As of now, ancient DNA samples assigned specifically to Q-Y2200 have not been published.
- The formation time coincides with the emergence of farming and pastoral systems in South Central Asia and the early cultural interactions between Indus related populations and Iranian plateau groups.
- Because Q-Y2200 is present across both Indo Aryan and Iranic regions, ancient representation will likely be found in Bronze Age and Iron Age individuals from the Indus borderlands once higher coverage genomes are available.
Phylogeny & subclades
Q-Y2200 and its sibling markers such as Y2220 form a compact cluster under Q-M378. YFull and FTDNA show several internal sublineages that appear to track regional South Asian differentiation. The topology suggests multiple small founder events rather than a single large population expansion.
- Q-Y2200*
- Q-Y2220
- Regional South Asian microclades
Notes & context
Q-Y2200 is important for completing the picture of Q1b variation in Eurasia because it shows that South Central Asia hosted its own branches of Q, not only those connected to Jewish or Iranian lineages. The clade also illustrates how the Indian subcontinent contains rare but informative haplogroup Q elements that reflect ancient north Eurasian ancestry filtered through Holocene demographic layers.
References & external links