E3b (E-M35) was one of the Y haplogroups that was common among the Neolithic farmers from the Middle East who first brought agriculture into Europe about 9000 years ago. Cruciani et al give an estimate of 24-27 thousand years ago for the date of the most recent common ancestor of all E3b's and named eastern Africa as the probable place of origin. The distribution of E3b in Europe is shown as the group in yellow on the fourth page of King and Underhill's paper on Neolithic ceramics. It is seen most frequently along the Mediterranean coast - especially at the eastern end. Semino et al saw E3b at frequencies of 20-24% in Greece, 10-27% in Italy, and 2-11% in Spain. Capelli et al saw E3b in Britain at frequencies of 0-6%, in Germany at 3%, and less than 0.5% in Norway. Studies by Al-Zahery et al and Lucotte et al indicate that most E3b's probably yield a result of ht5 for tests of the 49a,f Taq/I locus.
SNP markers have been found that divide E3b into several sub-clades. The E3b sub-clades discussed here are:
Cruciani et al found distinctive STR signatures for groups that comprise about half of the E3b's of European descent. In the sections below, I've summarized their descriptions of those haplotypes and the histories they described for those groups. Unfortunately, the authors were apparently unable to identify characteristic alleles for the groups E3b3 and E3b1-delta. That means that about half of the E3b men reading this webpage have haplotypes that do not match with any of the characteristic alleles described below. Those men can probably assume that they belong to either E3b3 or E3b1-delta - but it will require a SNP test to identify which one. Examples of some "unclassifiable" E3b haplotypes can be seen here.
E3b1 (E-M78)
Most E3b's of European descent belong to an E3b sub-clade called E3b1 in the 2003 YCC nomenclature. Cruciani et al estimate the age of E3b1 at 21-25 thousand years and also place its origin in east Africa. The authors found that network analysis of eleven STR marker haplotypes resolved E3b1 into four distinct clusters. Each of these clusters have their own history, geographic distribution, and modal haplotype. Presumably these clusters correspond to sub-groups of E3b1 for which defining SNPs have not yet been found. Most European E3b1's belong to what they refer to as the "alpha" cluster. Paracchini et al saw E3b1 among Caucasian men in the US at a frequency of about 3%.
a cluster
Cruciani et al concluded that the distribution of the E3b1-alpha cluster in Europe indicates a
Neolithic or post-Neolithic
expansion out of the Balkans into Europe that spread as far west as the Iberian peninsula, and southeast to Turkey.
STR diversity analysis gives an estimate of about 8 thousand years ago for that expansion. The cluster may have been part of a
pre-Neolithic group indigenous to the Balkans, or it may have "leap-frogged" from Anatolia, to the Balkans, and then into
Europe. The alpha cluster signature makes it possible to distinguish the E3b1 that expanded
out of the Balkans from other E3b1's that came to Europe from the Near East (E3b1-delta cluster). It's interesting to
note that another recent study concluded that a J sub-group, J2e1 (J-M102), also
expanded into Europe from the Balkans during the Neolithic period.
Examples of haplotypes I believe to be E3b1-alpha can be seen here.
b cluster
A second E3b1 cluster is the "beta" cluster. It is most common in northwest Africa where it is seen
at rates of up to 14% of the population. Cruciani et al dated the expansion of E3b1-beta in northwest Africa at about
5 thousand years ago. As with E3b2, the E3b1-beta cluster may have migrated into Iberia
during the 700 years of Islamic rule. Cruciani et al say that the E3b1-beta cluster is
characterized by the unusual alleles of DYS439=10, and DYS413a,b=21,23. However
since E3b2 also commonly has DYS439=10, I have not been able to identify any examples of E3b1-beta in public databases.
g cluster
The E3b1-gamma cluster is characterized by DYS19=11 and was seen only in East Africa.
d cluster
Cruciani et al reported that the E3b1-delta cluster was seen at low frequencies among all European populations
that included E3b's - but their paper did not include a description of the E3b1-delta haplotype. The highest
frequencies of E3b1-delta were seen in Ethiopia and Somalia, and that area is assumed to be its place of origin.
The authors believe that the delta cluster may have been involved in the first dispersal
of E3b1's out of eastern Africa about 15 thousand years ago. The E3b1-delta cluster was introduced into
Europe in a later expansion from either northern Africa
or the Near East. Members of that cluster were seen in such far flung places as Pakistan. Their paper did not give
a description of the E3b1-delta haplotype.
The E3b1 sub-group defined by M148 has only been seen in one individual from Pakistan/India.
E3b2 (E-M81)
The haplogroup E3b2 is defined by M81. Cruciani et al found, as had previous studies, that E3b2 is very common in northwestern Africa - with frequencies approaching 80% in some places. The group seems to be associated with the Berber ethnic group. The map in Cruciani's Sub-Saharan Africa paper shows E3b2 in light blue. The frequency of E-M81 drops off sharply the further east one goes in northern Africa - and it is not seen in sub-Saharan Africa. Cruciani et al date the E3b2 haplogroup at 5600 years. E3b2 is also seen in Iberia - perhaps as a result of the centuries of Islamic domination of much of the Iberian peninsula. A 2003 study by Paracchini et al saw E3b2 among Hispanic men from California and Hawaii at a frequency of 2.4%. Examination of the YSearch and YBase databases shows that other alleles characteristic of E3b1-beta may be DYS391=9, DYS385a,b = 13,14 or 13,15, DYS447=23, DYS454=12, DYS570=22, and CDYa = greater than 34. E3b1-beta may also commonly have DYS389i=14. The nine marker minimal haplotype for E3b2 can be seen here. Examples of haplotypes I believe to be E3b2 can be seen here. The YHRD.org database shows this haplotype at rates of a few percent in Spain and among Hispanic Americans..
The E3b2 sub-group defined by M107 has only been seen in one individual from Mali, and E3b2 subgroup defined by M165 has only been seen in one individual from the Middle East
.E3b3a (E-M123/M34)
E3b3a is an E3b sub-clade defined by the SNPs M123 and M34. Paracchini et al saw E3b3a among Cauacasians in the US at a frequency of about 2%. Cruciani et al saw evidence that E3b3a originated in the Near East. It occurs in Europe at a rate of 1.7% and may have been introduced there by Neolithic farmers from the Near East. However the authors point out that the lack of E3b3a in southeastern Europe weakens that hypothesis, and suggest that it may have been introduced to Europe directly from Africa. The paper by Semino et al includes a good map (named "E-M123") that shows the distribution of E3b3a in Europe, Africa, and the Near East. Cruciani et al found E3b3a at frequencies of 2-7% in Italy, and at low frequencies among Corsicans and Asturians. They reported rates of E3b3a in the Near East of 2-8%. Semino et al saw E3b3 among Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews at a rate of 10-12%.
No description of the E3b3a haplotype was given in the paper by Cruciani et al.
Only two individuals (from Bulgaria and from Central Asia) have been seen who had the M123 mutation, but did not have the M34 mutation. The E3b3a sub-group defined by M136 has only been seen in two individuals from Pakistan/India.
E3b* (E-M215/M35)
Cruciani et al saw E3b* at high frequencies in East Africa (up to 17%) and South Africa (up to 30%). It was seen only as singletons in various European populations. Behar et al report E-M35* at a rate of 16% among Ashkenazi Jews. However that study did not test either M123 or M34, and therefore most of that 16% is actually E3b3a. A study by Semino et al (which included M123) saw E-35* occurring only as single individuals among Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jewish populations.
Two other known E3b sub-groups are defined by the markers V6 and M281. V6 was seen at frequencies up to 17% in Ethiopia. M281 has only been seen in one Ethiopian.
Only two individuals in Ethiopia were observed to have a mutation at M215, but not at M35.
Allele frequency graphs of E3b for 25 markers can be seen here.
The allele frequency graphs below are based on data from studies by Cinnioglu et al and by Bosch et al.
Last Update: Mar. 5, 2006
