Overview
R1a-Y5 is an early diverging branch of R1a-F2935 and forms an important paternal lineage across northern India and Pakistan. Emerging during the early Iron Age, Y5 played a role in the initial phases of Indo-Aryan settlement and cultural formation in the subcontinent. Archaeological evidence points toward its presence among communities engaged in both agricultural and pastoral economies. Y5's distribution today suggests strong regional continuity, with many subbranches localized within specific cultural and linguistic groups. Its diversification aligns with the growth of early Indo-Aryan societies, including Janapadas and tribal polities of the early historic era. Although not as widespread as Y8 or Y7, Y5 is valuable for tracing the earliest phases of the F2935 expansion within the subcontinent.