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What is a Haplogroup?
Haplogroup is the term scientists use to describe individual branches, or closely related groups of branches, on the genetic family tree of all humans. All members of a haplogroup trace their ancestry back to a single individual.
Haplogroup I2 is most abundant in eastern Europe and on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, where it is found in 40% of the male population. Like its brother haplogroup, I1, I2 expanded northward at the end of the Ice Age about 12,000 to 14,000 years ago. But unlike I1, which expanded from the Iberian peninsula into northwestern Europe, I2 radiated outward from the Balkans into the eastern half of the continent.
Quick Facts
Haplogroup: I2 Age: 28,000 years Region: Eastern and Southern Europe Populations: Balkans, Sardinians Highlight: I2 is more common in southern Europe than I1.
common in Denmark and Sweden, it was probably found among the men who inhabited Doggerland. The presence of I2b1 in Sweden, particularly the northern province of Vasterbotten, is likely due to the more recent arrival of German and Dutch immigrants during the 17th century. The Balkan Branch Haplogroup I2a is concentrated in eastern Europe and western Russia, reaching levels of 40% in Bosnia and 30% in Croatia. It arose about 11,000 years ago in the Balkans, prior to the arrival of agriculture. Soon after I2a arose, farmers from the Near East and Anatolia brought their techniques to the Balkans, where the local men - who often bore haplogroup I2a - took up the practice. A branch of I2a, I2a2, is also commonly found in the Balkans. It is a much younger haplogroup, having arisen about 7,800 years ago at a time when the climate was relatively warm compared to the millennia before and after. Like I2a, hunter-gatherers bearing I2a2 began adopting the farming practices of men arriving from the east. In the Spittoon... The Balkan branch of haplogroup I2 is linked to the spread of agriculture in southeastern Europe. Learn more at the Spittoon. Hidden in the Pyrenees The origins of the I2a1 branch of haplogroup I have been unclear for some time. Scientists now believe it originated high in the Pyrenees, the string of mountains that separates Spain from France. It may have arisen during the peak of the Ice Age about 21,000 years ago, when small groups of people retreated deep into the mountains to survive the harsh climate. About 12,000 years ago, as temperatures warmed and glaciers retreated, men bearing I2a1 expanded into Spain, France, and nearby Mediterranean Islands. Today I2a1 exists at moderate levels in its ancestral homeland, reaching about 8% among the people of the Pyrenees. It reaches extremely high levels on the island of Sardinia, where 40% of men bear the haplogroup. View Sources