Overview
G2a2b1a38 represents a historically driven Mediterranean–Adriatic lineage shaped primarily during the classical and post classical periods. Its ancestral affinity to the Anatolian G-M406 radiation positions it within the wave of eastern Mediterranean genetic signatures incorporated into coastal European populations. The lineage’s demographic swell corresponds to Roman era mobility, Byzantine coastal networks and the integration of eastern Mediterranean merchants, soldiers and specialists into Adriatic and central Mediterranean communities.
Its downstream structure reflects the cultural and economic mosaic of late antiquity, where Roman maritime infrastructure, Adriatic trade and population reshuffling introduced new paternal lines into local societies. G2a2b1a38 highlights the subtle but persistent contribution of Anatolian rooted lineages to the medieval European genetic landscape.
Geographic distribution
Present day carriers cluster primarily in Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania and western Greece. Additional distributions appear in Slovenia, Austria and southern Germany. Smaller but meaningful occurrences exist in Spain and southern France. The lineage is rare in the Near East but does appear in individuals of Levantine or Anatolian descent, consistent with its ancestral source.
Ancient DNA
- Late Roman individuals from the Dalmatian coast show upstream SNP patterns consistent with pre diversification phases of this lineage.
- Byzantine era burials in the Adriatic and Ionian coastal zones reveal G derived markers consistent with FT90112 type expansions.
- Classical Roman port settlements in Italy show M406 ancestral signatures within clusters compatible with the phylogenetic position of this branch.
Phylogeny & subclades
FT90112 divides into three primary clusters: an Adriatic maritime clade, a central Italian–Alpine clade and a western Mediterranean derivative. The internal divergence aligns with late Roman fragmentation and early medieval regionalization. Branching is moderate, consistent with multiple small founder events rather than a singular major expansion.
- G-FT90112* Adriatic maritime basal clade
- G-FT90112a central Italian and Alpine branch
- G-FT90112b western Mediterranean offshoot
- G-FT90112c rare Balkan interior microbranch
Notes & context
This lineage helps map the late classical and Byzantine era redistribution of eastern Mediterranean paternal ancestry into coastal and inland Europe.
References & external links