Overview
G2a2b1a44 is a downstream branch of the prolific M406 lineage, tracing its formation to the late Neolithic–Chalcolithic transition but undergoing significant diversification only during the Iron Age. This branch reflects the demographic processes of the eastern Mediterranean, where mobility, trade, and localized cultural expansion created tightly knit paternal micro-lineages that endured across millennia.
Its emergence corresponds to a demographic pulse within eastern Anatolia and northern Levantine coastal societies. G2a2b1a44 forms a distinct cluster within the broader M406 spectrum—neither among the earliest dispersing groups nor among the most explosively expanding lines, but rather a stable regional lineage shaped by Iron Age social complexity.
Geographic distribution
Modern carriers of G2a2b1a44 appear mainly in southeastern Turkey (Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Mardin, Diyarbakır), northern Syria, and among certain Levantine populations with historical ties to Upper Mesopotamia. Smaller pockets occur in Cyprus, Lebanon, the southern Caucasus, and western Iran, consistent with historical patterns of movement among Aramean, Luwian, Hurrian, and early Assyrian-associated communities.
The geographic footprint points to a lineage that remained deeply embedded within the Upper Mesopotamian and northern Levantine cultural sphere rather than dispersing widely into Europe or deep Arabia.
Ancient DNA
- Iron Age populations from the Upper Tigris and Balikh basins show paternal structures compatible with early forms of this lineage.
- Neo-Hittite and Aramean contexts in northern Syria reveal G2a2b1a-like Y-profiles, which could represent ancestral components of G2a2b1a44.
- Later classical-era individuals from coastal Syria occasionally exhibit SNP markers overlapping with the Y2349xx cluster.
Phylogeny & subclades
G2a2b1a44 is defined by Y234991 and closely linked Y2350xx mutations. The lineage represents a mid-level trunk within the M406 hierarchy, positioned between the early M406 radiations and the denser, younger western Anatolian clusters. Internal phylogenetic structure suggests at least two microbranches, both retaining strong connections to Upper Mesopotamia.
Its internal mutation rate implies limited founder events but consistent low-level continuity, characteristic of Iron Age regional populations that were demographically stable but geographically bounded.
- G2a2b1a44* (basal)
- G2a2b1a44a (Y235002-linked Upper Mesopotamian cluster)
- G2a2b1a44b (northern Levantine microbranch)
Notes & context
G2a2b1a44 represents the Upper Mesopotamian–northern Levantine dimension of the M406 macro-expansion. While not as large as western Anatolian branches, it provides crucial balance by documenting the eastern and southern periphery of the M406 sphere. Including this branch enhances the atlas’s capacity to represent Iron Age micro-population structures across the Near East.
References & external links