Overview
G2a2b1a43 is a deep downstream subclade of the enormous M406-derived G2a2b1a lineage. It represents a mid–late Bronze Age to Iron Age diversification event centered in the Central and Western Anatolian cultural network. Unlike many earlier PPNB and Neolithic G branches, G2a2b1a43 reflects demographic processes tied to increasingly complex societies—proto-urban settlements, stratified polities, and strong regional identities.
Its phylogenetic age and spread suggest that it may trace paternal continuity in communities associated with the late Anatolian Bronze Age polities, post-Hittite regional kingdoms, and early Iron Age cultural mosaics that linked western Anatolia with the Aegean and central plateau.
Geographic distribution
Today, G2a2b1a43 appears in pockets across western and central Anatolia (İzmir, Manisa, Afyon, Konya, Eskişehir), with notable representation among Turkish populations whose documented ancestry traces back to these regions. Smaller frequencies occur in Greece (Crete, Peloponnese), coastal western Turkey, Cyprus, and the southern Balkans. This pattern aligns with the maritime and overland connectivity of the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age Aegean–Anatolian world.
Its absence from Central Europe but modest presence in southeastern Europe suggests that it circulated primarily within the Aegean–Anatolian interaction sphere rather than through the continental Neolithic routes.
Ancient DNA
- Late Bronze Age western Anatolian individuals (Troy region, western plateau sites) model well with paternal profiles linked to downstream M406 branches including this clade.
- Iron Age burial contexts in southwestern Anatolia exhibit G2a2b1a-like SNP distributions consistent with the FT627xx block.
- Some Late Bronze Age Aegean samples show upstream affinities within G2a2b1a that could represent proto-G2a2b1a43 layers.
Phylogeny & subclades
Defined by FT62781, this branch proceeds from the dense G2a2b1a radiation that includes dozens of subclades. G2a2b1a43’s internal structure features multiple micro-branches tracking regional clusters in western Anatolia, suggesting strong geographic anchoring despite the region’s long history of population movement.
Its placement deep within the M406 tree indicates long-term continuity and survival through turbulent historical periods including the Bronze Age collapse, the emergence of Phrygian and Luwian polities, and later Achaemenid and Hellenistic influence.
- G2a2b1a43* (basal)
- G2a2b1a43a (FT62804-linked Anatolian group)
- G2a2b1a43b (western Aegean microcluster)
Notes & context
This lineage is crucial for representing the western Anatolian component of the M406 expansion. It captures a demographic layer associated with highland–coastal interactions rather than purely Neolithic dispersal dynamics. Its addition to the atlas ensures the M406 mega-tree is represented not only by its large-scale branches but also by its regionally anchored micro-radiations.
References & external links