Overview
J2b-Z42912 is a downstream branch of the J2b-M241 lineage with a demographic axis oriented across the southern Balkans, Aegean islands and western Anatolia. Its early diversification corresponds to the late Neolithic and Chalcolithic consolidation of agricultural and maritime communities that developed along the Adriatic, Ionian and Aegean coastlines. These populations were integral to early maritime exchange systems, early metallurgy and the formation of proto-urban centers along the Aegean littoral. By the Bronze Age, Z42912-bearing groups were connected to the Mycenaean, Aegean and western Anatolian cultural spheres. Downstream phylogenetic structure reveals microregional clustering tied to Aegean islands, southern Balkan river valleys and coastal Anatolia. Iron Age and classical Aegean populations show clear continuity with expected derivatives of this clade, highlighting its long-term presence in maritime and coastal environments.