Description
Haplogroup J2b is a rare subclade of mtDNA J2, with a distribution centered in the Near East and Mediterranean regions. It is most common in populations of the Levant, Turkey, and parts of Southern Europe, particularly Greece and Italy. J2b has been found in ancient DNA from Neolithic Anatolian samples, indicating its antiquity and connection to early farming populations that migrated from the Near East into Europe. It is rarer than J2a and makes up only a small fraction of total J2 diversity.
Interesting Fact
J2b has been identified in ancient samples from the Chalcolithic period in the Near East, providing evidence that this lineage was part of the diverse maternal gene pool of early complex societies of the Fertile Crescent before the Bronze Age migrations that reshaped the region's genetic landscape.
Distribution by Ethnicity
| Ethnic distribution | Region | Frequency | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| Levantine Arabs | Near East | n=200 | |
| Turks | Anatolia | n=250 | |
| Greeks | Southern Europe | n=200 | |
| Italians | Southern Europe | n=300 |
Tags
References
- Lazaridis et al. (2016) — Genomic insights into the origin of farming in the ancient Near East. Nature 536, 419–424.
- Richards et al. (2000) — Tracing European founder lineages in the Near Eastern mtDNA pool. American Journal of Human Genetics 67(5), 1251–1276.