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Y-DNA Haplogroup Atlas

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Haplogroup R-Z301

Macro-haplogroup
R
Parent clade
R1b-Z381
Formed (estimate)
c. 4300 years ago
TMRCA (estimate)
c. 3800 years ago

Overview

R-Z301 is a key U106 branch strongly tied to Bronze Age and Iron Age populations in central and northern Europe. Its descendants include several subclades that later became characteristic of Germanic speaking groups. Z301 appears to have expanded concurrently with the cultural transformations of the Nordic Bronze Age and related societies.

Geographic distribution

Common today in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, England and parts of Norway and Sweden. Also present in lower frequencies across central Europe.

Ancient DNA

  • Late Bronze Age and Iron Age individuals from the North European Plain show Z301 derived haplotypes.
  • Anglo Saxon and later medieval English contexts contain Z301 subclades.
  • Some Viking Age individuals across Scandinavia and the British Isles carry Z301 branches.

Phylogeny & subclades

R-Z301 further divides into major branches including R-Z156 and R-Z381 subclusters. These branches correlate with historical Germanic expansions such as those of the Saxons, Franks and related populations.

  • R1b-Z156
  • R1b-S1688

Notes & context

R-Z301 is a foundational lineage in the Germanic paternal genetic landscape and plays a central role in tracing early Germanic ethnogenesis.