DNA Day Sale: Save on Family Finder, Y-DNA, & mtDNA. Now through April 25th.

R-Z56 Y-DNA and Subclades

  • 169 members

About us

R-Z56 Project was begun in September 2017.

R-Z56 is a major subclade of R-U152. 


Who can Join:
Anyone who has been found to be Z56/Z43 or downstream SNPs by FTDNA, iGenea or National Geographic Genographic Project or has been tested for STR markers by FTDNA and his Z56/Z43 or downstream SNPs status was confirmed by another testing lab such as 23andMe, DecodeMe, Ethnoancestry or Genebase.


This is a public project. The more of us who test and share our information, the more we will all know. When you join, you are making surname, ancestor and DNA related results public, from which they can never be fully retracted. Please remove yourself if you don't want to share publicly. We do not publish your full given name or contact info.

This is a Y DNA haplogroup project. Actively participating involves Y SNP testing. SNP testing is required to be assigned to a subgrouping. 

The project administrators are volunteers and do not represent the vendors nor receive special benefits. 

 

POSSIBLE ORIGINS AND DISTRIBUTION OF R-Z56

Current opinion is divided as to whether R-Z56 originated north of the Alps or south of the Alps in Italy.  If it originated north of the Alps then R-Z56 mutation probably took place in the Western Alps (west La Tene) perhaps 4100-4400 ybp and spread north into Alsace Lorraine, then the Rhine Delta and south into the Rhone River valley and along the Ligurian coast. Modern Y-DNA testing shows R-U152 and its subclades including R-Z56 to be strongest in central and northern Italy, radiating out from Italy into Europe. This indicates a strong chance of an Italian origin especially for some subclades. Hopefully future ancient DNA testing can help to solve this question. 

Modern Y-DNA sampling of Italy shows R-Z56 to be very strongest in the area of Tuscany and Liguria. This area was home to the Etruscans from 1000BC till their absorption by Rome around 200BC. The Etruscans at their peak established colonies in southeastern France. Therefore, there is also the possibility of R-Z56 subclades migration into the Rhone region from Etruria at this time. Appx 500-300BC.

It appears on modern YDNA sampling that the very dominant R-Z56 subclade R-Z145, is very strong along the Rhine and French/German border. R-S47 found from Italy, southeastern France and Spain.


Suggestions for the prehistory of the branches of R-Z56:

The majority of branches of R-Z56 are positive for and downstream of Z56>BY3548>Z43. (248, DEC 2022).


FT15337: age ca. 2100BCE. It has two main branches which are BY3544 that has members in Germany, England, Spain, Ukraine, Belarus and Malta. BY42722 which has members in Germany and England.
Possibly developed in the late Rhine Bell Beaker territory.

BY3538: nucleus is in West-Germany/North-France and members elsewhere; probably has a Rhine Bell Beaker origin.

Possibly developed in Eastern France, was likely present in the RSFO Urnfield group, subsequently spread with Hallstatt and La Tene:




Z145: This branch has the most branches of Z56 (100, December 2022). It has members throughout Europe in France, Germany, Luxemburg, Netherlands, England, Italy, Poland, Belarus and Russia. Contains an Ashkenazi branch.  

Z145 was formed by ca. 1900 BC. Its members are mostly confined to two major branches: Z145>BY1823>BY28794 (age ca. 1400 BC) and Z145>BY1823>BY3951(age ca. 1600 BC). It is the most frequent subclade of Z56, most significantly in Tuscany (and Umbria, unfortunately undertested regions) and surroundings and has a second center in the Alsace and surroundings. Both subbranches are present in both areas; in Italy, the ratio is roughly half/half, while in the"Alsace cluster" BY28794 is found more often. BY3951 is thought to be almost certainly an Italic branch, to which prehistoric sample R435 (near Praenestine,ca. 400 BC) belongs. Because BY28794 is also found scattered among several branches in Italy, it is thought probable that it was Italic too. A possible Alsatian origin of this branch cannot be excluded, although it does not explain the distribution in Italy well. The entrance of Z145 into Italy might date to the later Bell Beaker period and might have occurred from the northwest. The Z145 mutation might even well have occurred within Italy. The Z145 clusters outside of Italy may date to the Roman period. One branch of Z145 is found in the Ashkenazim (striped part in Eastern Europe), and another branch found its way among Bashkirs and/or Tatars.
Z145 also has a relatively new branch, Z145>BY204154. This branch is negative for BY1823.


In a paper released in November 2019 the first ancient R-Z56 Y-DNA sample had been discovered. There are 2, and one is an Iron Age samples from the Praenestini area east of Rome around the period is 600-200BC. The haplogroup is R-Z144>Z29485 or BY3951.

In February 2024, another ancient DNA sample was reported in "Until death do us part". A multidisciplinary study on human- Animal co- burials from the Late Iron Age necropolis of Seminario Vescovile in Verona (Northern Italy, 3rd-1st c. BCE)The samples are attributed to the Cenomane (Gaul/Celtic) culture and Y-DNA haplogroups could be called for 7 of the men in the study. The private variants of one Big Y customer matches the man who was co-buried with a dog and they form a new branch as a result.

SV3220 (US 3231) - buried with domesticated pig food offering

R1b-M269>L23>L51>P310>L151>P312>Z46516>ZZ11>U152>Z56>BY3548>Z43>Z46>Z48>CTS12976>S4634>Y225624>FT83928

R-FT83928 (splits branch and moves to R-BY167432)

S47
: Born around 2100BCE. It has members in France, Italy, Spain, Britain, S-Germany, and some elsewhere in Europe. Currently there are 2 major branches of S47
, Z44 and CTS12976. Currently (DEC 2022). CTS12976 has the much greater European distribution with members in most countries, while Z44 has branches in Britain, Italy, Spain and a new one in Germany. Recently Z44 got its first result which is negative to any of the previously known downstream SNP's, CTS1370.

All the above branches are positive for R-Z43
(age ca. 2150BCE) whose ancestor possibly started to spread in the several Bell Beaker groups near the Upper Rhine, Saône and Rhone.

Recently new branches of Z56 have been discovered that are 
R-Z43 Negative. They are
Z56>BY3548>BY84536, Z56>BY3548>FT67350 and Z56>BY3548>FT375512.

Also, Z56 has a branch that is negative for BY3548, Z56>FT251936.



 

 .