Ancient DNA indicates 3,000 years of genetic continuity in the Northern Iranian Plateau, from the Copper Age to the Sassanid Empire

A groundbreaking analysis of ancient DNA from the Iranian Plateau reveals remarkable genetic continuity over 3,000 years, spanning from the Copper Age (4700 BCE) to the Sassanid Empire (1300 CE). The study, which includes 23 newly sequenced mitogenomes and 13 nuclear genomes from nine archaeological sites across Iran, demonstrates that populations in northern Iran maintained strong genetic connections with local and South-Central Asian Bronze Age groups. Notably, an Early Chalcolithic sample predating other Iranian Chalcolithic genomes shows predominantly Early Neolithic Iranian ancestry, hinting at long-term cultural and biological stability in the Zagros region. The research also highlights intermediate genetic profiles in historical samples, positioning them on an east-west cline across the Persian Plateau. These findings underscore enduring genetic linkages that have persisted from prehistoric to modern times.

Amjadi, M. A., Özdemir, Y. C., Ramezani, M., Jakab, K., Megyes, M., Bibak, A., Salehi, Z., Hayatmehar, Z., Taheri, M. H., Moradi, H., Zargari, P., Hasanpour, A., Jahani, V., Sharifi, A. M., Egyed, B., Mende, B. G., Tavallaie, M., & Szécsényi-Nagy, A. (2025). Ancient DNA indicates 3,000 years of genetic continuity in the Northern Iranian Plateau, from the Copper Age to the Sassanid Empire. Scientific Reports, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-99743-w