Overview
I1-Z2040 is a Baltic–northern European oriented branch of the I1 radiation that emerged during the Late Nordic Bronze Age. This lineage is strongly tied to populations along the eastern Baltic coast and southern Scandinavia. Archaeological correlations point toward communities involved in amber trade networks and maritime cultural exchange linking the Baltic with the wider Nordic world. Z2040 represents a stable but regionally influential clade within the continental Z58 > Z138 phylogeny.
Geographic distribution
Modern frequencies are highest in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, northern Poland and southern Sweden. Secondary presence occurs in Finland, Denmark and coastal Germany. Lower but notable frequencies appear in Belarus and northwest Russia due to later Baltic–Finnic interactions.
Ancient DNA
- Iron Age Baltic individuals from coastal Latvia and Lithuania cluster near the upstream Z58 > Z2040 phylogenetic position.
- Viking Age remains from Gotland and Öland include lineages compatible with early Z2040 diversification.
- Proto-Baltic archaeological contexts in Lithuania show ancestral Z2041 signals.
Phylogeny & subclades
Z2040 sits under the Z58 > Z138 framework. It is characterized by SNPs Z2040, Z2041 and Z2043. Its downstream diversification is moderate, with distinct Baltic and southern Scandinavian sub-branches.
- I1-Z2041
- I1-Z2043
- Basal Z2040*
Notes & context
I1-Z2040 is one of the most informative paternal markers for Baltic–Nordic cultural history, especially in relation to Iron Age and Viking maritime networks.
References & external links