Research overview: ancient mitochondrial lineages of cats

Mitochondrial DNA, maternally inherited and abundant in old specimens, has been central to reconstructing cat history. This overview surveys how researchers define and use maternal haplogroups, including the Near Eastern lineages associated with the Neolithic spread and the distinctive Egyptian lineage that expanded in classical antiquity. It explains how comparing ancient and modern mitochondrial sequences reveals dispersal routes, founder events and the timing of major population movements, while noting the limits of maternal-only markers, which miss paternal gene flow and hybridization. The survey connects this evidence to questions about how many times cats were drawn into human settlements and how trade, religion and seafaring shaped the genetic geography of today's domestic cat.