Overview
J2b-Z43712 is a downstream member of the J2b-M241 expansion and is closely tied to the demographic landscapes of the southern Balkans, Aegean islands and western Anatolia. Its early formation appears rooted in late Neolithic and Chalcolithic maritime-linked communities that forged connections between inland agricultural settlements and emerging coastal trade hubs. These groups played significant roles in shaping the shared ceramic, metallurgical and maritime traditions of southeastern Europe and the Aegean. During the Bronze Age, the lineage seems connected to island–mainland exchange systems, Mycenaean-influenced coastal centers and western Anatolian urbanizing landscapes. The structure of Z43712 shows evidence of microregional founder effects associated with Aegean archipelagos, southern Balkan river valleys and coastal Anatolian plains. Iron Age and classical samples from the Aegean basin preserve paternal lineages consistent with this clade, highlighting multi-period maritime continuity.