Overview
J2b-Z41672 is a downstream branch of the J2b-M241 lineage with a demographic axis centered in the southern Balkans, the Aegean basin and western Anatolia. Its earliest emergence corresponds to the spread of Neolithic farmers into southeastern Europe and the establishment of early maritime interaction networks connecting the Adriatic, Ionian and Aegean seas.
During the Bronze Age, Z41672-bearing populations participated in cultural spheres tied to Mycenaean centers, Aegean maritime exchange systems and western Anatolian settlement complexes. Downstream substructure includes localized founder effects in Aegean islands, river valley settlements and Adriatic coastal communities. The lineage shows long-term continuity through the Iron Age and classical eras.
Geographic distribution
Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, western Turkey; minor presence in Italy, Cyprus and the Adriatic coast.
Ancient DNA
- Balkan Neolithic individuals show upstream J2b patterns consistent with early Z41672 ancestry.
- Aegean Bronze Age samples include J2b-M241 lineages aligned with this branch.
- Bronze Age western Anatolia displays continuity with ancestral clades.
- Iron Age Balkan coastal sites show downstream subbranches.
- Classical Greek communities retain derivative lineages.
Phylogeny & subclades
A Balkan-Aegean oriented J2b lineage with structured coastal and inland diversification.
- Z41672*
- Aegean microclades
- Adriatic derivatives
Notes & context
Z41672 is important for understanding population interactions across the Aegean and southern Balkan regions.
References & external links