# Population Genetics > mtDNA Haplogroups > H >  Hello, New H7c3 Member with questions (of course)

## Kurgan

I am searching for some answers, and was hoping some of you Forum experts could help.

Does my mtDNA haplogroup, *H7c3*, indicate that my maternal ancestry is from western Anatolia (Turkey), and that these middle-eastern farmers spread north via the Balkans and colonzied the Carpathian region (and further north to Scandinavia) during the Neolithic period?

Regarding H7, I found this:
_“The first pottery produced in the Fertile Crescent appeared circa 6500 BCE. It is from this period that early agriculturalists began expanding towards western Anatolia and Greece. These Neolithic farmers potentially belonged to haplogroups H2, H5, H7, H13 and H20 (as well as J2b1, K1a, N1, T2 and X2), all of which have been found in ancient Neolithic samples from Europe and are also found throughout the Middle East today.”_

_"H7 was probably part of the Neolithic migration from the Carpathians to Ukraine that gave rise to the Dnieper-Donets culture, along perhaps with mt-haplogroups K1c, K2b, T1a1a, T2a1b1 and T2b, and with Y-haplogroups G2a3b1 and J2b2. All these lineages would subsequently be absorbed by the Proto-Indo-European speakers (Y-haplogroups R1a and R1b) of the Yamna culture during Bronze Age."_

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On a related note, what is the most likely associated Y-haplogroup for H7: *R1a or R1b?

Many thanks in advance.
*

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## Kurgan

whoops, and I meant: "H7c3" (not H7a3). Now fixed above.

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## FrankN

Welcome to the Forum, Kurgan!

This study analyses the role of mtDNA H among early European farmers. Various (now mostly extinct) H sub-clades appear to in fact have been part of the early agricultural expansion from Anatolia into Central Europe.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...MC3978205/#SD2
Samples of the Dnieper-Donetsk-culture included mtDNA H, but apparently haven't been analysed for subclades. The first ancient mtDNA H7 that I am aware of has been found in Halle/ Saale and dates to the Baalberge Culture (3,800-3,300 BC, H7d5).
Today, H7 appears to be most frequent in Romania (~5%, see Supplementary Table S8 of the above study). It is also found at 1-3% frequencies in the northern Caucasus, the Volga-Ural region, the Balkans, Austria, Slovakia, SW France/ NE Iberia (though not among Basques), and the British Isles. How it got there is unclear yet. Aside from spreading in the pontic steppe, there seems to have been at least one expansion along the Danube into Hungary/ Austria/ Slovakia (early LBK). Either the Celts spread it further from there to France, Iberia and the British Isles, or there has been another, separate migration into SW France/ NW Iberia, possibly as part of the maritime spread of early farming along the Mediterranean coast.

Before these migration paths haven't been clarified, there is little point in speculating on associated yDNA hgs. The spread of early farming was carried by yDNA G2, but may have included R1a (basal lineages) along the Danube, and R1b along the Mediterranean coasts.

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## Kurgan

Interestingly, all my HVR1/HVR2/Coding Region matches (12 of them) on FTDNA are from Sweden, Finland, England, Scotland, Poland and Russia. So, yes, somehow H7, at least H7c3, made it way north and into the Pointic Steppe. By the way, thank you for the clarifying response.

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## christie

Hello Kurgan,

It seems we share the same MtDNA haplogroup: H7C3. There doesn't seem to be many of us.

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