Zagros–Caucasus Crossroads

From the first sedentary houses of the Zagros to the fortified centers of the Late Bronze Age, this cultural arc unfolds as a long cinematic sequence of invention and contact. Archaeological layers at Tepe Abdul Hosein (Central Zagros, Iran), Neolithic settlements in eastern Anatolia such as Boncuklu and Kumtepe, and early Chalcolithic tells in the Levant demonstrate a millennia-long movement of farming knowledge, ceramics and metallurgy. The emergence of the Kura‑Araxes horizon (c. 3500–2200 BCE) created a striking material signature across the South Caucasus and into eastern Anatolia and northern Mesopotamia; archaeologists tie distinctive pottery, burial modes, and agro‑pastoral economies to this expansion. Later, Late Bronze Age centers such as Tell Atchana (Alalakh) and Arslantepe became nodes in long‑distance exchange, linking raw materials and ideas from the Zagros to the Mediterranean.

Ancient DNA from 441 individuals broadens the picture beyond artifacts: genetic continuity and patterned admixture appear alongside archaeological shifts. Limited evidence suggests early farmer ancestry remained a core component, while later epochs record pulses of additional ancestry from neighboring highlands and, occasionally, more distant steppe‑related sources. Where sample density is high—for example, across Armenian LBA–EIA contexts—archaeology and genetics align in showing regional persistence coupled with episodic influxes that reshaped local gene pools.

The genetic portrait assembled from 441 ancient genomes offers a richly detailed but careful narrative. Y‑chromosome markers in this dataset are led by haplogroup J (42 counts), followed by T (17), R (14), G (12) and E (8). Maternal lineages are diverse, with mtDNA U (53), K (44), H (44), T (37) and J (31) among the most frequent. These patterns reflect a long history of regional continuity with punctual influxes of new ancestries.

Haplogroup J is commonly associated with long‑standing Near Eastern male lineages and appears across sites from the Zagros to the Caucasus. The presence of R lineages—often linked in broader West Eurasia to steppe‑related ancestries—points to intermittent male‑biased inputs, though in most contexts such inputs are modest rather than dominant. Haplogroups G, T and E add further evidence of North Mesopotamian, Anatolian and Iranian connections.

Mitochondrial diversity—high frequencies of U, K, H, T and J—suggests broad maternal continuity and integration of local hunter‑gatherer and farmer ancestral components. Regional structure is visible: individuals from the South Caucasus and eastern Anatolia show elevated Caucasus‑related genetic signatures, while Zagros samples retain stronger Zagros/Iranian farmer ancestry. Because sample coverage varies by site and period, fine‑scale demographic models remain provisional; however, the sample size allows robust detection of recurrent admixture pulses and long‑term persistence of core Near Eastern ancestries.