Overview
G2a2b1a55 is an M406-derived lineage whose demographic core sits in the southern Levantine and eastern Mediterranean trade world. This branch reflects the eastward-facing connections of the M406 network, tied to populations inhabiting the interior Levant, northern Arabia, and the desert–foothill transition zones of Palestine–Jordan.
Its tmrca indicates a diversification window that corresponds to the late classical, early Byzantine, Islamic and early Crusader periods—eras marked by intense mobility, commerce and cultural intermixing within the Levantine corridor. Unlike the coastal Levantine M406 branches, G2a2b1a55 bears markers of inland or semi-pastoral groups engaged in caravan-based trade, oasis-linked agriculture and highland–lowland circulation.
Geographic distribution
Modern carriers occur in Jordan, Palestine, Israel (particularly in populations with deeper Levantine ancestry), southern Syria and northern Arabia. Small occurrences in Lebanon and Cyprus likely reflect trade and pilgrimage mobility.
The lineage is almost absent in Europe, underscoring its Levantine–Arabian focus.
Ancient DNA
- Late Roman and Byzantine Levantine individuals show paternal signatures consistent with early G2a2b1a55-type ancestry.
- Islamic-era burials in Palestine and Jordan occasionally carry M406-related haplotypes aligned with the Y3238xx block.
- Crusader-period mixed cemeteries sometimes show underlying Levantine G2a2b1a diversity congruent with this lineage.
Phylogeny & subclades
G2a2b1a55 is marked by Y323811 and its associated Y3238xx SNP series. The branch forms several microclusters reflecting distinct southern Levantine and northern Arabian settlement patterns. Internal branch lengths suggest repeated small-scale founder events in oasis systems and highland villages, followed by long-term local persistence.
- G2a2b1a55* (basal Levantine form)
- G2a2b1a55a (Y323826-linked Jordanian–Palestinian cluster)
- G2a2b1a55b (northern Arabian microbranch)
Notes & context
G2a2b1a55 is essential for representing the inland Levantine and northern Arabian dimension of the M406 story. In ancestry contexts, this branch usually points to deep paternal roots in inland Levantine communities rather than coastal or Anatolian populations.
References & external links