Overview
Haplogroup R-PH334 is a significant early Holocene branch of R2a that arose during the phase when the Iranian Plateau experienced growing settlement density, agricultural intensification and the emergence of regionally distinct cultural groups. Its estimated formation age places it between the later Neolithic and the early Chalcolithic, a period associated with the transition from dispersed early farming villages to more complex socio-economic systems. Modern samples of PH334 are found mainly in central and southeastern Iran, with smaller occurrences in Afghanistan. This geographic pattern aligns with archaeological records from Tepe Sialk, Jiroft and other early settlement clusters, which demonstrate long-term local continuity combined with periodic external influences. PH334’s persistence in this region strongly suggests that its ancestors belonged to stable agro-pastoral communities deeply integrated into the Plateau’s early cultural networks. Although no ancient individual has yet been assigned directly to PH334, several upstream R2a-associated samples from Neolithic and Chalcolithic Iran provide a clear genetic context, placing PH334 comfortably within the prehistoric population structure of the Plateau.