Richard Blandini's Judeo-Christian legacy with the Y-DNA marker E-BY7402 (subclade of E-V22) and the Jewish Diaspora in Europe
“Then the Lord will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other.”
Deuteronomy 28:64
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Richard Blandini carries the genetic marker E-BY7402, a subclade of the main haplogroup E-V22, in his Y chromosome.
E-BY7402 is a specific subclade of the Y-DNA haplogroup E, which traces paternal ancestry. It is a descendant branch of the larger E haplogroup, which is believed to have originated in Africa and has various subclades spread across different regions of the world. E-BY7402 is part of the E-M35 lineage, commonly found in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. This subclade's presence in populations may provide insights into ancient migration patterns and genetic heritage, potentially indicating a shared paternal ancestor among individuals who carry this marker. It can also have implications for tracing historical connections, especially among Jewish and Mediterranean populations.
Y-DNA (Y-chromosomal DNA) is a type of genetic material passed exclusively from father to son (uniparental). It traces a direct paternal lineage, revealing information about paternal ancient ancestry, deep family history, and ancient migrations.Y-DNA testing is commonly used in genealogy to identify a male's patrilineal heritage, as it remains relatively unchanged across generations. It is important to specify that the Y chromosome does not define the entire genetic makeup of an individual, but only the paternal lineage.
What is a haplogroup, and what does it signify in genetic genealogy?
For a matter of simplification, Y-DNA genetic mutations are assigned names, called Haplogroups. This nomenclature system follows a hierarchical system:
- Haplogroups are assigned letters (e.g., A, B, C), representing major branches of the human family tree.
- Further divisions are labeled with numbers and additional letters (e.g., E1, E1b1).
- As more sub-branches are discovered, additional numbers and letters are added (e.g., E1b1a1a), showing increasingly specific genetic relationships.
Haplogroups are genetic lineages that trace the male ancestry of individuals who share a common male ancestor, identified by specific mutations in the Y chromosome, which is only carried by men. These groups map the migration patterns and evolutionary history of paternal lineages, providing insights into ancient human migrations and population structures over time.
The haplogroup with the letter E identifies the African origin of a male individual who carries this genetic mutation in his Y chromosome. This system reflects both broad ancestral origins and finer distinctions within populations. The primary haplogroup E is divided into several subclades, based on additional mutations that have accumulated over thousands of years.
The main subclades under haplogroup E are:
E1a (E-M44): Primarily found in West and Central Africa.
E1b1 (E-M215): The largest and most widespread subclade, with several important branches:
E1b1a (E-M2): Common in sub-Saharan Africa, especially West Africa, and among African diaspora populations.
E1b1b (E-M35): Predominantly found in North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Southern Europe. It includes subclades such as:
E-V12, found in Egypt, Sudan, and Chad.
E-V13, this is the most common subclade of E-M35 found in Europe. It is especially common in the Balkans.
E-V22 (carried by Richard), concentrated in Northeast Africa and the Near East. Peaks among the Saho.
E2 (E-M75): Less common, found in scattered populations across sub-Saharan Africa.
These subclades reflect the diverse migration patterns and evolutionary history of haplogroup E across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
Subclade E-V22
The Levantine Y-DNA E-V22 is found primarily in western Ethiopia, northern Egypt and in the southern Levant. In Europe it is therefore associated with the Phoenicians and the Jews. The Phoenicians could have disseminated E-V22 to Sicily, Sardinia, southern Spain and the Maghreb, and the Jews to Greece and mainland Italy and Spain. Recent genetic tests taken in Syria (Aleppo) suggest that the E-V22 genetic mutation likely first appeared in Syria, Palestine, or Israel.
The captivating aspect of haplogroup E-V22 is its potential to reveal insights into historical migration patterns linked to the spread of Christianity and its connection to the Holy Land. While genetic lineages don't directly reflect religious practices, E-V22 is closely associated with populations from Northeast Africa and the Levant, regions that played a pivotal role in early Christian history.
Given that E-V22 has been found in the Near East, parts of the Mediterranean, and Europe, it may reflect ancient migrations that overlapped with the early Christian period, including the Roman Empire's presence in Judea and the broader spread of people from the Holy Land. Many Jewish populations who later converted to Christianity during Roman rule may carry this lineage, linking it indirectly to the spread of early Christian communities.
Additionally, understanding how the descendants of this haplogroup moved into Europe can help trace connections to early Christian settlements and communities established by people migrating from regions where Christianity was first adopted.
The following path identifies subclades of the E-V22 mutation, that is, an accumulation of additional genetic mutations over millennia or centuries. The E-BY7402 subclade under E-V22, has been found in several individuals of Jewish origin.
E-V22 -> E-CTS567 -> E-CTS6080 -> E-L1250 -> E-BY7402
Richard in Sicily with Zdeněk (and his wife Lucie), a Y-DNA tester from the Czech Republic, with whom he shares a more recent paternal ancestor from haplogroup E-BY7402, with a likely Jewish link.
To shed more light on this haplogroup, Richard founded the E-V22 FTDNA project in 2019. The project's goal is to track the movement and migration patterns of this Levantine signature around the world by testing modern individuals who carry this genetic mutation:
https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/e-v22/
Richard Blandini started genealogy studies over 25 years ago at the age of 16 and started implementing the use of DNA testing in 2018. He is the member of a large global community that shares a passion for genetic genealogy research. He is also an active member of ISOGG (International Society of Genetic Genealogy).
This research would not have been possible without the significant contributions of Dutch citizen scientists Leon Boer and Wim Penninx, who were the first to recognize the potential of haplogroup E-V22.
Updated website providing deeper insights into the origins of E-V22
E-V22 branches confirmed to be Jewish
Haplogroup E-V22 was first identified in 2003 by the doctoral student Roberta La Fratta in the team of the Italian geneticists Fulvio Cruciani, Rosaria Scozzari, and Beniamino Trombetta, Human Population Genetics Laboratory of the Biology and Biotechnology Department in Rome.
Dr. Fulvio Cruciani
Dr.. Beniamino Trombetta
"La Sapienza" University, Rome
The migration patterns of the Jewish people align closely with the distribution of the E-V22 haplogroup across Europe.
The Blandini paternal lineage can be traced back to the year 1500 through original church records (baptism, marriage, death) from the Catholic Church. Although there are no church records before the Council of Trent (1545), the presence of other individuals with this family name is attested as early as 1400 in notary records. The presence of the Levantine (and Jewish) haplogroup E-V22 in the males of this family may indicate a Jewish ancestral origin
In Sicily, the Jewish population is estimated to have reached around 30,000 people during the 13th century. This was before the expulsion of Jews from Sicily in 1492, following the Edict of Expulsion issued by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, which also affected the Sicilian territories under their rule. The Jewish communities in Sicily during this period were vibrant and well-integrated, with significant presences in cities like Palermo, Messina, Catania, and Syracuse.
In 2024, Richard Blandini uncovered references to several Blandino individuals in notary deeds from the 14th century, connected to the Jewish community in Palermo, Sicily.
Notary record from Palermo, Sicily, 29 October 1336
Notary record from Palermo, Sicily, 20 August 1461
15th century Jewish tombstones on display in Siracusa are one of the few tangible markers of a once-significant Jewish presence in Sicily.
Richard Blandini leading a conference about Sicilian Genetics in Sicily in 2022
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