Overview
J2b-Y22115 is a downstream component of the J2b-M241 radiation with a demographic axis running through the southern Balkans, coastal Greece, the Aegean and western Anatolia. Its earliest development aligns with the mid Holocene agricultural expansions in the Balkans and the subsequent rise of Aegean maritime cultural networks that bridged mainland settlements with island communities.
During the Bronze Age, Y22115 bearing populations participated in the demographic currents associated with Mycenaean mobility, Adriatic corridor interactions and Aegean trade systems. Downstream diversification reveals multiple coastal founder effects and persistent settlement continuity throughout the Iron Age and classical Greek period.
Geographic distribution
Highest in Greece, Albania and western Turkey; moderate in Bulgaria, Cyprus and North Macedonia; lower frequencies in southern Italy and the Levant.
Ancient DNA
- Late Neolithic southern Balkan individuals show J2b patterns tied to early Y22115.
- Aegean Bronze Age burials contain upstream markers connected to the lineage.
- Western Anatolian Bronze Age remains include paternal clusters compatible with Y22115.
- Iron Age Levantine samples present downstream segments of the clade.
- Classical Greek communities preserve multiple Y22115 derived lines.
Phylogeny & subclades
A coastal and Aegean oriented J2b branch featuring several microclades indicative of maritime mobility and Balkan-Anatolian interaction.
- Y22115*
- Aegean coastal branches
- Western Anatolian derivatives
Notes & context
A key J2b lineage marking demographic exchange across the southern Balkans and Aegean basin.
References & external links