if I2a1 were not Vandals, could I2a1 be spread by Phoenicians (their colonies are in yellow on map)? Any data about I2a in Levant?
The high point of Phoenician culture and seapower is usually placed ca. 1200–800 BC.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenicia
this is in fact, imediatelly after "sea peoples" took over the area around 1200 BC
and word Phoenicia starts with Phen which is alike to Ven which is key part (start of the word is most relevant part of tribal name as suffixes are due to languages spoken and tribes may change those) of tribal name Veneti who seems to have spread I2a* as only two samples of I2a* currently present in family tree dna database fall exactly in areas of Adriatic Veneti and Celtic Veneti of Britanny..
http://www.familytreedna.com/public/I2aHapGroup/default.aspx?section=ymap
Phoenician homeland:
Akkā (Hebrew עַכּוֹ; Arabic عكّا), Arka, Arwad (Classical Aradus), Berut (Greek Βηρυτός; Latin Berytus;
Arabic بيروت; English Beirut), Botrys (modern Batroun), Dor (English Tantura; Arabic الطنطورة; Hebrew דוֹר), Gebal (Greek Byblos), Porphyreon, Safita, Sarepta (modern Sarafand), Sidon, Tripoli, Tyre, Ugarit, Zemar (Sumur)
list of Phoenician colonies:
Located in modern Algeria:
Cirta (modern Constantine), Malaca (modern Guelma), Igigili (modern Jijel), Hippo (modern Annaba), Icosium (modern Algiers), Iol (modern Cherchell), Tipasa (modern Tipaza)
Located in modern Cyprus:
Kition (modern Larnaca), Dhali (modern Dali, Cyprus), Marion (modern Polis, Cyprus)
Located in modern Italy:
Genoa, Sardinia, Karalis (modern Cagliari), Nora, Olbia, Sulci[12], Tharros, Sicily, Zyz (modern Palermo), Lilybaeaum (modern Marsala), Motya, Solus (modern Solunto)
Located in modern Libya: Leptis Magna, Oea (modern Tripoli), Sabratha, The Mediterranean islands of Malat (modern Malta), Maleth (modern Mdina)[13], Għajn Qajjet[14], Tas-Silġ[15], Mtarfa[16], Qallilija[17], Ras il-Wardija in Gozo[15]
Located in modern Mauritania:
Cerne
Located in modern Morocco
Acra, Arambys (Mogador)[18], Caricus Murus, Gytta, Lixus (modern Larache), Tingis (modern Tangier)
Located in modern Spain
Abdera (modern Adra), Abyla (modern Ceuta), Rusadir (modern Melilla), Akra Leuke (modern Alicante), Gadir (modern Cádiz), Ibossim (modern Ibiza), Malaca (modern Málaga), Onoba (modern Huelva)
Qart Hadašt (Greek Νέα Καρχηδόνα; Latin Carthago Nova; Spanish Cartagena), Sexi (modern Almuñécar)
Located in modern Portugal
Baal Saphon or Baal Shamen, latter romanized as Balsa (modern Tavira, in the Algarve)[19][20]
Located in modern Tunisia
Hadrumetum (modern Susat), Hippo Diarrhytos (modern Bizerte), Qart Hadašt (Greek Καρχηδόνα; Latin Carthago; English Carthage), Thapsus (near modern Bekalta), Utica
Located in modern Turkey
Phoenicus (modern Finike)
Other colonies
Calpe (modern Gibraltar), Gunugu, Thenae, Tipassa, Sundar, Surya, Shobina, Tara
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenicia
Let's check out Spain:
numbe__area___I*(xI2a1)__I2a1___R1a__G______J2(xJ2f)
1___Seville_______9.7_____2.6____0.6___4.0____5.2
2___Huelva_______9.2_____— _____--___--_____13.7
3___Cadiz________3.6_____10.7____--___--_____ 14.3
4___Cordoba______11.0____3.7____--____--_____11.0
5___Malaga _______—______—_____7.7___3.8____ 7.7
6 __N. Portugal___3.7 _____1.8____ --____7.3____4.6
7___Leon________1.7______1.7____6.7___6.7____3.3
8___Galicia________—______ —____--____--____--
9___Cantabria ____4.3______1.4___4.3____8.6___2.9
10__Valencia_____9.7_______3.2___3.2____--___9.7
11__Castile______14.3______19.0___--____--__--
12__Basques a____4.4______4.4____--
13__Catalans b____6.2______—_____--____--____--
http://hpgl.stanford.edu/publications/EJHG_2004_v12_p855.pdf
Abdera (modern Adra)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adra,_Spain - closest to area 5
Abyla (modern Ceuta)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceuta - north Africa - closest to area 3
Rusadir (modern Melilla)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melilla - north Africa - closest 3
Akra Leuke (modern Alicante)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alicante - closest area 10
Gadir (modern Cádiz)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cádiz,_Spain - area 3
Ibossim (modern Ibiza)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibiza,_Spain
Malaca (modern Málaga)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaga,_Spain - area 5
Onoba (modern Huelva)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huelva,_Spain - area 2
Qart Hadašt (Greek Νέα Καρχηδόνα; Latin Carthago Nova; Spanish Cartagena)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartagena,_Spain - area 10
Sexi (modern Almuñécar)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almuñécar,_Spain - closest to area 5
thus, areas 3 and 10 match spread of I2a1, while areas 2 and 5 does not...however, 2 and 5 are very near area 3 and there was lot of movements of people since time of Phoenicians...
in addition, by looking at spreads for areas 1-5 and 10 worth paying attention (and in fact better match) seems to be J2(xJ2f)... it is however not excluded that both haplogroups were spread by Phoenicians