J2 among Chechens

A branch shared with the Ingush

J2 is one of the great lines of Western Eurasia: it is notable from Italy and Greece to Iran and India. One of its major branches is particularly frequent among Chechens and Ingush:

Among the Ingush J2 nearly crowds out the other lines, while Chechens have three more large ones — J1, L1 and Q1.

Within this major branch, Chechens and Ingush share another branch, which includes 58% of the Chechen J2 carriers. Its common ancestor lived 12,000 years ago. At a branching point 11,400 years old, the neighbouring branch is represented in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman. At a branching point 7,800 years old, a neighbouring branch is found in Turkey, Georgia, Armenia and Iraq. At one 7,500 years old, neighbouring branches are found in Turkey and Armenia. On the younger branch 4,300 years old, Chechen and Ingush lines are especially numerous. Lines from Dagestan and Georgia are also present.

In the Caucasus, J2 is ancient: a man from the Kotias Klde cave in western Georgia who lived 9,700 years ago belonged to it.

One ancestor or many

Nearly half of the L1 carriers share an ancestor who lived 1,200 years ago. J2 has a different pattern: 44% of its carriers share an ancestor who lived 3,900 years ago, while the others are on different branches:

Two men with J2 from different teips may be on either close or distant branches. Kinship within family memory requires a more recent shared branch.

Teips on line J2

Notable: Arboy-Qureysh 44%, Hacharoy 44%, Saloy 42%, Mulk'oy 41%, Leshkaroy 40%, Nikhaloy 40%, Elistanzhoy 30%, Vashandaroy 29%, Bagacharoy 20%, Tumsoy 19%, Nikarkhoy 17%, Pkhamtoy 15%, Kharachoy 15%, Galoy 11%, Chermoy 9%, Gunoy 8%, Key 8%, Dishniy 6%, Gukhoy 6%, Shuonoy 6%.

Three branches and the teips on them

Of the Chechen carriers of J2, 42% converge in a node 2,400 years old. Below it are two branches, while the third described here lies on the other side of the ancient split.

The first branch, the largest, is 1,950 years old and brings together lines from teips of Ichkeria, Cheberloy and Sharoy, as well as Peshkhoy. Within it are three younger branches. Two are the same age, 1,200 years: one holds Belgatoy, Yalkhoy, Peshkhoy, Gendargenoy, Nizhaloy, Kurchaloy, Hoy and Shirdi, the other Sesanoy, Makazhoy, Allaroy and Mulk'oy. A branch 1,000 years old holds mainly Tsontaroy.

The second, 1,700 years old, is a highland branch: Chinkhoy, Hal-Keloy, Sa'ttoy and Yukerch-Keloy, the teips of the Argun gorge. Within it is the Kela branch, which holds Hal-Keloy, Yukerch-Keloy and Keloy. Sarbaloy and Leshkaroy also have lines on this branch. Their common ancestor with the Kela carriers lived 700 years ago. This connection is consistent with the ethnographic record: the community of Sarbala on the Sharo-Argun received settlers from Shatoy — people of Kela, Sa'ttoy and Pkhamtoy.

The third branch split off from these two as far back as 12,000 years ago, and the common ancestor of its carriers lived 2,800 years ago. On it are Ishkhoy, Zandakoy, Peshkhoy, Nashkhoy, Turkoy, Tsesi, Chartoy, Baloy, Buosoy, Tsikaroy and Chubakhkinaroy. Within it, Zandakoy, Turkoy, Chartoy, Buosoy and Tsikaroy share a branch 1,050 years old, and Ishkhoy and Tsesi one 1,350 years old.

Among Peshkhoy, a third of the J2 carriers are on the first branch and a third on the third.

The teips' own branches

On this line 24 teips have a branch of their own. The common ancestors of these branches lived within the last 1,150 years.

Above these points the branches are shared: part of Tsontaroy and part of Sesanoy, for example, are on one branch 700 years old.