A · BT · CT · CF · F · J · J2-M172 · J2a-M410 · J2a-Z2227 · J2a-FGC17865

Haplogroup J2a-FGC17865

Macro-haplogroup
J
Parent clade
J2a-Z2227
Formed (estimate)
c. 7,000 to 9,800 years before present
TMRCA (estimate)
c. 2,300 to 3,600 years ago

Overview

J2a-FGC17865 is a downstream branch of the coastal-oriented J2a-Z2227 radiation and reflects demographic processes tied to the eastern Mediterranean littoral. Its early formation corresponds to the rise of maritime-linked agricultural and artisanal communities in Cyprus, southwestern Anatolia and the southern Levant. Archaeogenetic patterns suggest connections between island-based settlements, coastal Anatolian port communities and broader maritime trade networks active throughout the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. During the Bronze Age, FGC17865-bearing groups participated in the copper trade, maritime redistribution systems and coastal urbanization processes characteristic of the eastern Mediterranean. The lineage exhibits downstream diversity consistent with multiple localized founder effects in island and coastal populations, reflecting persistent demographic presence through later classical and Roman periods.

Geographic distribution

Cyprus, coastal Turkey, southern Levant, Dodecanese, Crete; lower frequencies across Greece and southern Italy.

Ancient DNA

  • Bronze Age Cyprus samples show early J2a profiles consistent with upstream FGC17865.
  • Southern Anatolian Bronze Age burials display signals linked to this cluster.
  • Bronze Age Levantine coastal individuals present J2a diversity matching FGC17865 patterns.
  • Classical Mediterranean port communities show continuity with downstream branches.
  • Roman island settlements retain traces of FGC17865 derivative lineages.

Phylogeny & subclades

A coastal and island-centered microbranch of J2a-Z2227 with strong maritime demographic signatures.

  • FGC17865*
  • Cypriot derivatives
  • Southern Levantine microbranches

Notes & context

A Mediterranean coastal lineage reflecting Bronze Age exchange networks tied to Cyprus and southwestern Anatolia.