Overview
G-L13 is a central western and central European branch of the P303-derived G2a expansion. Emerging near the threshold of the early European Neolithic, L13 developed into a widely distributed lineage strongly tied to early farming communities in the Balkans, the Alpine region, northern Italy, southern Germany and parts of France. Its deep geographical structure, with shared ancestry between European and Near Eastern clusters, suggests that L13 originated in the Aegean–Anatolian interaction zone and participated in both continental and maritime Neolithic expansions.
Within Europe, L13 often corresponds to local founder events that occurred during the Middle Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods, producing regionally stable lineages that persisted despite Bronze Age turnover. Modern L13 is most concentrated in the Alpine arc, central Europe, northern Italy and southwestern France, with related branches present in the British Isles and Iberia at lower but meaningful levels.
Geographic distribution
L13 exhibits its greatest frequencies in central Europe, the Alps, and northern Italy. It also appears consistently in France—especially in the southwest—and in smaller pockets across the Mediterranean, including coastal Iberia and occasionally the Aegean islands. Near Eastern diversity is lower but present, consistent with an early Near Eastern origin followed by strong European expansions.
In the British Isles, L13 occurs at low frequencies but includes some region-specific subclades likely representing early post-Neolithic or early Bronze Age founder events. In the Balkans, L13 is present but less central than other G2a2b2a lineages, reflecting local founder effects rather than a broad early Balkan distribution.
Ancient DNA
- Several Middle Neolithic central European individuals have been assigned to L13-related or upstream P303 branches consistent with L13 ancestry.
- Chalcolithic Alpine individuals display markers consistent with proto-L13 branches, connecting L13 to early mountain-route expansions.
- Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic burials in northern Italy and southern France show P303-derived diversity consistent with multiple early European L13 radiations.
- A minority of Early Bronze Age central European individuals retain L13 lineages despite the increasing dominance of steppe-derived R1b and R1a.
Phylogeny & subclades
L13 sits within the larger G2a2b2a (P303) framework as a western-central European specialist branch. Downstream structure includes differentiations into several microclades with region-specific signatures (e.g., branches enriched in the Alps, France or northern Italy). Many L13 subclades form shallow but distinct star-like expansions typical of mid-Holocene demographic growth.
L13’s internal topology shows a clear divergence from close relatives such as L497 and U1—while these dominate central European and mixed European–Near Eastern networks, L13 forms a distinctly western cluster within the broader P303 expansion.
- G-L13* basal lines
- Regional Alpine/central European microclades
- Western Mediterranean–linked branches
- Multiple WGS-defined family clusters
Notes & context
G-L13 is key for mapping the western arc of Neolithic expansions into Europe. Whereas L497 represents the central European core and U1 spans both the Balkans and the Mediterranean, L13’s structure tracks the westward movement through the Alps, the upper Danube and the western Mediterranean coastlines. Its persistence into the Bronze Age—despite steppe influx—makes L13 an important marker for identifying residual Neolithic paternal ancestry in modern European populations.
References & external links