Bakr Awa, Iraqi Kurdistan

Ancient DNA research has identified a young Iron Age child from northern Mesopotamia as belonging to the Y-DNA haplogroup E-BY7201, a downstream branch of the ancient paternal lineage E-V22.

The individual, designated BA2940, was excavated at the archaeological site of Bakr Awa in present-day Iraqi Kurdistan. Osteological analysis determined that the child was approximately four years old at the time of death and lived during the Neo-Assyrian or Neo-Babylonian period, between roughly 1000 and 539 BC. Despite the child's young age, researchers noted evidence of dental caries in the remains.

The genetic assignment to E-BY7201 places this individual within the broader E-V22 haplogroup, a lineage that has been detected in both ancient and modern populations across the Near East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean.

The discovery adds to the growing body of evidence demonstrating the long-standing presence of E-V22 lineages in Mesopotamia, one of the world's oldest centers of civilization. During the period in which the child lived, the region formed part of the cultural sphere dominated by the powerful Neo-Assyrian and later Neo-Babylonian states, whose influence extended across much of the ancient Near East.

Bakr Awa itself occupied a strategic position along important trade routes linking the Iranian plateau with northern and southern Mesopotamia. Archaeological excavations have revealed continuous occupation spanning multiple historical periods, from the Bronze Age through the Islamic era.

For genetic genealogists and researchers of ancient population history, BA2940/001 represents another valuable data point documenting the deep antiquity of the E-V22 paternal lineage in the heartland of ancient Mesopotamian civilization.

Key Facts

• Sample: BA2940

• Location: Bakr Awa, Iraqi Kurdistan

• Period: Iron Age (Neo-Assyrian / Neo-Babylonian)

• Date: c. 1000–539 BC

• Age at Death: Approximately 4 years old

• Y-DNA Haplogroup: E-BY7201 (E-V22)

• Significance: Ancient evidence of the E-V22 lineage in Mesopotamia