Overview
G-FT51204 represents a lineage whose surviving structure suggests a founder event in central or southern Europe during late antiquity. Although its ancestral root lies in the Anatolian Bronze Age, the demographic expansion detectable today likely occurred during the Roman and post-Roman periods. Its pattern shows strong association with regions involved in the movements of auxiliary units, craftsmen, merchants and other populations incorporated into the Roman provincial system. This lineage provides insight into how eastern Mediterranean paternal lines became embedded within European populations during historical, rather than prehistoric, periods.
Geographic distribution
Today G-FT51204 is found mostly in Italy, particularly central and northern regions, and in lesser frequencies across the Balkans, central Europe and the western Mediterranean. It is also present among a small number of individuals in Greece and coastal Turkey, reflecting the ancestral Anatolian–Aegean roots of the lineage. The distribution suggests that FT51204 spread westward through Roman military or commercial channels before becoming localized within European populations.
Ancient DNA
- Roman provincial burials from Italy and the Balkans have profiles compatible with basal and early FT51204 derived markers.
- Late Roman and early medieval individuals in central Europe show STR patterns and partial SNP matches aligning with proto FT51204.
- Mediterranean classical era burials with M406 ancestry provide upstream context for the lineage’s ancestral environment.
Phylogeny & subclades
This lineage displays a compact branching structure with two primary European nodes and a smaller Anatolian/Aegean derived branch. The European portion includes an Italian core cluster and a northern European extension. These branches diverge over the last two millennia, indicating their integration into Roman and later medieval demographic networks. FT51204 is positioned within the European oriented branch of the G2a2b1a radiation and shows a distinct historical rather than prehistoric expansion.
- G-FT51204* basal European core
- G-FT51204a Italian and western Mediterranean lineage
- G-FT51204b Balkan and central European cluster
- minor Aegean remnant lines
Notes & context
By including FT51204, the atlas captures a historically grounded European lineage derived from an originally Near Eastern paternal population. It highlights how ancient Anatolian ancestry shaped later European paternal variation.
References & external links