Overview
G2a2b1b (G-PF3293) is a major internal branch of the M406 radiation. It is defined by the PF3293 mutation and sits immediately below G2a2b1 in the phylogenetic tree. Age estimates place its formation in the early Holocene and its most recent common ancestor around the late seventh millennium BCE. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}
This lineage is especially important because it includes several historically visible clusters that underwent strong founder effects in the Mediterranean and in Europe. One cluster with the distinctive STR pattern DYS454 equal to 12 and DYS392 equal to 12 has been linked to Ashkenazi Jewish, Iberian Converso and Italian lineages. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8} Another branch under PF3293 participates in the so called Hadhrami and Ba Alawi Sada expansions via its descendant PF3316 and Y32612, which are treated separately below.
Overall, G2a2b1b represents an axis that connects early Anatolian M406 ancestry with later demographic episodes in Europe and the Levant. Its structure captures multiple overlapping processes, including localized founder effects in Sardinia and Italy, Jewish diaspora expansions, and late antique or medieval movements in the eastern Mediterranean.
Geographic distribution
Modern PF3293 lineages occur across a broad belt that stretches from Turkey and the Levant to southern and western Europe. The lineage has been reported at notable frequencies in Italy including Sardinia, in the eastern Mediterranean, and among diaspora communities in northern and western Europe. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}
One of the best known PF3293 clusters shows a combined geographical profile involving Ashkenazi Jews in central and eastern Europe, Iberian families with apparent Converso ancestry, and Italian lineages. This pattern reflects a common ancestor who likely lived in the Mediterranean world during the late Iron Age or the Roman period, followed by dispersal through Jewish and post Roman networks. :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}
In the Near East, PF3293 is present at lower frequencies but appears in countries such as Turkey, Lebanon and Oman, often in lineages that are ancestral to or parallel with the Hadhrami Y32612 cluster.
Ancient DNA
- Roman period individuals in Italy have been assigned to PF3293 derived lineages. For example, sample R47 from Klosterneuburg near Vienna falls under PF3293 and represents the northern frontier presence of this M406 subclade during the Imperial Roman period. :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}
- Early medieval individuals from Hungary have been described with PF3293 derived haplogroups, which documents the persistence of this lineage in central Europe during the Migration Period and the early Middle Ages. :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12}
- Several M406 positive ancient individuals from Anatolia are negative for both FGC5089 and PF3293 and therefore occupy a more basal position. These samples help calibrate the timing of the PF3293 split from the broader M406 ancestral population. :contentReference[oaicite:13]{index=13}
Phylogeny & subclades
Within M406, PF3293 forms a robust branch that splits further into PF3316 and additional subclusters. :contentReference[oaicite:14]{index=14} PF3316 acts as an internal trunk that leads to regionally significant lineages including the Arabian and Hadhrami Y32612 cluster. Other PF3293 derived branches show strong European representation and include the Ashkenazi Jewish cluster defined in part through STR markers and additional SNPs such as FGC41427 and S11415. :contentReference[oaicite:15]{index=15}
The overall topology is that of an early Holocene radiation followed by later, much shallower bursts of diversification in historical times. This makes PF3293 particularly valuable for connecting deep time Anatolian ancestry with historically documented populations.
- G2a2b1b* (PF3293 basal, currently sampled in Italy and the eastern Mediterranean)
- G-PF3316, which contains the Hadhrami Y32612 cluster and related Arabian branches :contentReference[oaicite:16]{index=16}
- European PF3293 founder lineages, including Ashkenazi Jewish and Italian clusters characterized by distinctive STR signatures and WGS level SNPs
- Omani and wider Gulf PF3293 branches that bridge Near Eastern M406 diversity with coastal Arabian populations :contentReference[oaicite:17]{index=17}
Notes & context
G2a2b1b is one of the clearest examples of how a Neolithic or Chalcolithic West Asian lineage can develop multiple historically distinct expansions. In a mega haplogroup atlas, PF3293 illustrates the way in which a single branch can be simultaneously relevant for Anatolian prehistory, the genetic history of Jewish and Mediterranean populations, and for the formation of coastal Arabian and Hadhrami lineages.
References & external links