Overview
J2a-FGC16183 is a downstream eastern Mediterranean lineage of J2a-Z2227 with strong ties to Cyprus, coastal southern Anatolia and the southern Aegean basin. Its formation aligns with the expansion of mid Holocene coastal farming societies that developed maritime contact networks stretching across the eastern Mediterranean. Archaeogenetic signatures from Cyprus, the Levant and southwestern Anatolia show patterns that closely parallel the diversification trajectory of this clade. During the Bronze Age, FGC16183 bearing groups contributed to the population structure of island based metallurgical centers, maritime redistribution economies and Aegean coastal settlements. The internal structure of the clade indicates multiple island centered founder effects, especially in Cyprus, with later diffusion into the southern Aegean and the Levant.
Geographic distribution
Most frequent in Cyprus, coastal Turkey and the Dodecanese islands; moderate in Crete, mainland Greece and the Levant; low frequencies across Italy and the central Mediterranean.
Ancient DNA
- Bronze Age Cypriot individuals carry J2a subclades congruent with early FGC16183 phases.
- Southern Anatolian Bronze Age remains include J2a variants aligning with upstream FGC16183.
- Aegean Bronze Age burials produce J2a structures matching this maritime oriented lineage.
- Classical Levantine coastal centers contain downstream FGC16183 branches.
- Roman era port settlements across the eastern Mediterranean preserve this lineage’s structure.
Phylogeny & subclades
FGC16183 includes several island and coastal centered microclades, with the strongest diversification signals in Cyprus.
- FGC16183*
- Cypriot island branches
- Southern Aegean microclades
Notes & context
A core lineage of eastern Mediterranean maritime networks from the Bronze Age onward.
References & external links