Overview
J2b-Z40522 is a downstream branch of the J2b-M241 lineage associated with populations in the southern Balkans, the Aegean basin and western Anatolia. Its roots trace back to the demographic transformations of the mid Holocene when early farming communities expanded through the Balkan interior and coastal settlements developed along the Aegean shores. Z40522’s distribution aligns with the archaeological record of early maritime activity, proto urban sites in western Anatolia and Bronze Age population movements linking Greece, the Aegean islands and coastal Anatolia. The clade shows downstream variation that reflects recurrent founder effects within Aegean coastal societies and inland Balkan communities. Bronze Age Aegean and Mycenaean populations display upstream J2b signals that likely contributed to the formation of Z40522. Later historical periods, including Classical and Hellenistic eras, preserved continuity particularly in coastal settlements and island populations.