Iranian Neolithic map
Iranian Neolithic farmers (Ganj Dareh) · Zagros Mountains, about 10,000 years ago
How to read these maps: pale yellow means little or none of the selected ancestry, orange a medium share and deep red the highest values. Each dot is the average of a modern population: hover or tap it to see its numbers. Areas with no samples nearby stay blank.
Iranian Neolithic farmers (Ganj Dareh)
Zagros Mountains, about 10,000 years ago
Faded dots are populations the model fits less well: read their values with care. Click the map to zoom with your mouse wheel.
Who were the Ganj Dareh herders?
Ganj Dareh is a small mound in the Zagros Mountains of western Iran, near Kermanshah. About 10,000 years ago its people were among the first anywhere to manage herds of goats, at a time when farming was taking shape across the Fertile Crescent.
Their genomes, published in 2016, came as a surprise: these early Zagros herders were very different from the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia and the Levant, showing that farming began among several distinct populations rather than one. Ancestry related to them later spread across the Iranian plateau and into the Caucasus, Central Asia and South Asia, where it forms a large part of the background of the Indus Valley Civilisation. It is also part of the make-up of the steppe herders, through their Caucasus and Iran-related side.
Its legacy is strongest today across Iran, the Caucasus and South Asia, usually under layers of later migrations.
In our model, Iranian Neolithic ancestry peaks today in Makrani (Pakistan), at 52.3%, followed by Balochi A (Pakistan) (48.0%) and Balochi Pakistan (47.0%). The ten highest values come from Pakistan, Iran and India. It reaches at least 5% in 501 of the 1,998 populations on the map, and at least 20% in 144 of them. On the world scale the colours run from 0 to 25.5%, the level reached by the top 2% of populations, so the deepest red marks the real hot spots.
Where Iranian Neolithic ancestry peaks today
| # | Population | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Makrani Pakistan | 52.3% |
| 2 | Balochi A Pakistan | 48.0% |
| 3 | Balochi Pakistan Pakistan | 47.0% |
| 4 | Balochi Iran Iran | 46.0% |
| 5 | Brahui Pakistan | 45.1% |
| 6 | Iranian Bandari Iran | 40.4% |
| 7 | Sindhi Lasi Pakistan | 40.2% |
| 8 | Persian Bandari Iran | 38.9% |
| 9 | Balochi B Pakistan | 38.5% |
| 10 | Kutchi Jat Muslim India | 33.9% |
Averages of modern populations, modelled with 17 reference sources. Tap a name to find it on the map.
The 17 ancestral sources
About these numbers
These maps show model estimates for population averages, not ethnic labels and not the result of any one person. Each source stands in for a wider ancestral population, and ancestries that have no source of their own in this set, such as Oceanian or Khoe-San ancestry, are absorbed by their closest relatives among the 17. Populations the model fits less well are shown with faded dots and count less in the colour surface.
Method: Each population average (Global25 coordinates) is modelled as a mix of 17 ancient and modern reference groups with non-negative least squares, shares adding up to 100%. Fit is the distance between the population and its best mix: the lower the better, above 0.06 the mix explains the population poorly. Top lists leave out the few populations these 17 groups cannot model at all (fit above 0.15). Data generated 1 October 2026, 1,998 populations on the map.
Keep exploring
For the full picture of one population, the Population Genetics Atlas has a page for each of hundreds of modern populations, with its ancient make-up and its closest modern and ancient neighbours.
Curious about your own DNA? The free Report Finder tests which of our reports fits your G25 coordinates, before you order anything.
Frequently asked questions
Is Iranian Neolithic ancestry the same as modern Iranian ancestry?
No. It is the ancestry of early herders and farmers of the Zagros Mountains about 10,000 years ago. Modern Iranians carry a lot of it, but so do peoples of the Caucasus and South Asia, and modern Iranians also carry other, later layers of ancestry.
Where is Iranian Neolithic ancestry highest today?
In our model it is highest in Makrani (Pakistan) (52.3%), Balochi A (Pakistan) (48.0%) and Balochi Pakistan (47.0%). These are averages of modern populations modelled with 17 reference sources, so individuals within each population can differ.
How are these ancient ancestry maps made?
Each modern population average, taken from published G25 coordinates, is modelled as a mix of the same 17 ancient and modern reference sources with a non-negative least-squares fit, the same family of method our reports use. The map then interpolates the share of the selected source between the sampled places and leaves areas with no nearby samples blank.
Does a high value mean direct descent from these people?
No. Each source stands in for a broader ancestral population, and the 17 sources are fitted together, so closely related sources can trade shares between them. Read a value as how much of this kind of ancestry the model needs to describe a population average, not as a family tree.
Why are some areas of the map blank?
The colour surface is only drawn within a few hundred kilometres of real samples. Oceans and regions without data stay empty instead of showing invented values. Each dot on the map is a real population average.