Overview
R1a-YP471 is the principal downstream branch of R1a-YP470 and represents a significant component of the late Iron Age and early medieval paternal ancestry of eastern Europe. The lineage originated during a period of major demographic shifts in the territories spanning the Pripet marshes, the upper Dnieper basin and regions of present-day Belarus and eastern Poland. Archaeological indicators suggest that YP471 ancestors participated in the growing network of fortified hillfort settlements that characterized the Baltic and early Slavic cultural zones. During the Iron Age, YP471 lineages were carried by communities associated with the Milograd, Dnieper-Dvina and early forest zone cultures. These groups formed key intermediaries between Baltic-speaking and proto Slavic populations, facilitating demographic exchange across wide regions. As the early medieval Slavic expansion progressed, YP471 experienced rapid diversification. Several of its subbranches correspond to founder effects within Slavic tribal confederations including the Krivich and Dregovich groups. Today, YP471 remains an essential lineage for understanding the fine-scale paternal structure of Belarusian, Polish and Baltic populations.