Overview
J2b-Z38241 is a downstream branch under J2b-M241 with a geographic and cultural axis oriented around the Adriatic, southern Balkans and western Anatolia. Its formation aligns with the mid Holocene expansions of farming populations moving across the Balkans and into the coastal Aegean. Archaeological parallels include late Neolithic and Chalcolithic settlements along the Adriatic coast, inland valley farming communities and early Bronze Age exchange networks connecting the Aegean, Balkans and western Anatolia. During the Bronze Age, Z38241 bearing groups were likely involved in maritime and overland interaction systems linking Mycenaean centers, Adriatic communities and the northern Aegean cultural zones. The downstream phylogeny reflects founder effects in several Balkan populations and demographic pulses connected with Bronze and Iron Age developments.
Geographic distribution
Modern distributions show highest frequencies in Albania, coastal Croatia, Greece and western Turkey. Moderate levels appear in Bosnia, Italy, Cyprus and the northern Levant. Lower frequencies in the Caucasus and Iran likely reflect historical migrations stemming from Balkan or Anatolian populations.
Ancient DNA
- Late Neolithic Balkan individuals show J2b structures compatible with early Z38241.
- Aegean Bronze Age remains include J2b signals that match upstream components of this clade.
- Western Anatolian Bronze Age individuals present paternal patterns consistent with Z38241 diversification.
- Levantine Iron Age samples include J2b branches overlapping the downstream segments of Z38241.
- Classical period remains from the Adriatic and Aegean show continuity with Z38241 bearing groups.
Phylogeny & subclades
Z38241 contains several related clusters centered on Balkan and Adriatic populations with additional lines extending toward the Aegean and western Anatolia. The structure indicates repeated coastal interactions and localized expansions.
- Z38241* basal Balkan form
- Adriatic coastal microbranches
- Western Anatolian downstream lines
- Aegean and Levantine derived variants
Notes & context
J2b-Z38241 is an important lineage for understanding population movements between the Adriatic, the Balkans and the Aegean world across the Bronze and Iron Ages.
References & external links