Overview
J2b-Z40588 is a downstream lineage under J2b-M241 with a demographic distribution centered on the southern Balkans, the Adriatic and the Aegean coastal region. Its formation corresponds to early agricultural expansions into the Balkan peninsula and the development of maritime oriented cultural systems along the Aegean. Archaeological associations indicate ties to Neolithic Balkan settlements, Chalcolithic Aegean interaction spheres and Bronze Age proto urban centers in western Anatolia. The downstream structure of Z40588 reflects localized founder events in coastal Greek communities, inland Balkan uplands and western Anatolian port sites. During the Bronze Age, populations bearing this lineage took part in Aegean maritime movements, Mycenaean expansion routes and Adriatic interconnected networks. Continuity is visible in classical and Hellenistic coastal populations where derived forms of this lineage persist.