Overview
G-FT62291 is a European-centered lineage whose demographic rise occurred during late antiquity and the early medieval era. Unlike many G2a lineages that expanded during prehistoric times, this branch saw its main growth in post-Roman contexts. Its deep ancestry ties it to the Anatolian M406 root, but the young branching structure points decisively to western and central European founder effects.
The lineage likely integrated into Roman provincial populations or later early medieval communities involved in trade, craft specialization or movement along the Danubian and Alpine corridors. Its European signature sets it apart from more Eastern Mediterranean oriented sibling branches within G2a2b1a.
Geographic distribution
Today FT62291 carriers appear in France, Germany, Switzerland, the Low Countries and northern Italy. The lineage also occurs in the British Isles at low frequencies, likely reflecting medieval or post-medieval westward movement. The distribution suggests a central European heartland with secondary spread into western Europe.
Ancient DNA
- Roman provincial burials in Gaul and Raetia show paternal signatures upstream of FT62291.
- Early medieval individuals from central Europe exhibit STR and SNP combinations consistent with early FT62291 derived lines.
- Possible Carolingian-era individuals show partial SNP overlap with the ancestral branch.
Phylogeny & subclades
FT62291 divides into two major clusters: a central European cluster and a western European derivative. Divergence estimates fit the migration and realignment processes of the late Roman and post-Roman periods. The cluster’s shallow depth reveals a relatively recent founder event that integrated Anatolian-rooted paternal ancestry into a European demographic environment.
- G-FT62291* central European core
- G-FT62291a western European branch
- G-FT62291b Alpine microlineage
- rare British Isles descendant cluster
Notes & context
Including FT62291 fills a crucial historical narrative link between the east Mediterranean roots of G2a and its later incorporation into European medieval populations.
References & external links