Overview
E-M123 is a branch of the E-M215 cluster that plays a central role in the paternal history of the Levant, parts of Arabia and, to a lesser extent, the Mediterranean world. It represents a lineage that most likely formed somewhere in or near the Near East, at a time when post glacial populations were reorganising and new demographic centres were crystallising in the Fertile Crescent and adjoining highlands. E-M123 is not as frequent as some other E lineages such as E-M78 or E-M81, but it has a unique geographic and historical profile. It appears again and again in contexts associated with early farming communities, later urban societies of the Levant and in several Jewish, Arab and eastern Mediterranean populations. Rather than representing a single mass expansion, E-M123 records several waves of movement layered on top of each other.
Geographic distribution
Modern distributions of E-M123 show peaks in the Levant, especially among populations of Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon and parts of western Syria. It is also present in the Arabian Peninsula, particularly in northwestern Arabia and the Hejaz region, where long term interaction between Levantine and Arabian populations has left a strong genetic imprint. Lower but consistent frequencies are found in Egypt, Cyprus, Anatolia, the Aegean and southern Europe, often along old trade and migration routes that connected the eastern Mediterranean to its western basin. Among Jewish populations, especially some Sephardic and Mizrahi groups, E-M123 and some of its downstream clades reach notable frequencies and are frequently discussed in the context of Near Eastern paternal continuity. In North and East Africa the lineage is present at modest levels, usually as a trace of west Asian gene flow.
Ancient DNA
- Upstream E-M215 and related E-M123 derived or closely related lineages have been reported in Neolithic and Bronze Age individuals from the Levant and surrounding regions, supporting a long term presence of this branch in the Near East.
- Several ancient DNA studies show E lineages associated with early farmers and later urban populations in the Levant, Anatolia and Egypt, consistent with the geographic focus of present day E-M123 distributions.
- Age estimates for E-M123 and its main daughter clades overlap with periods of major cultural transformation in the Near East, including the spread of early agriculture, the development of complex polities and intense east west and north south trade networks.
Phylogeny & subclades
Within the E-M215 framework, E-M123 forms a distinct branch that later gives rise to E-M34 and, further downstream, to E-M84 and several more recent clusters. E-M34 is the best known and numerically dominant descendant, carrying most of the present day E-M123 diversity. The tree structure suggests that E-M123 split early from other E-M215 groups and then experienced several regionally focused expansions, rather than a single continental radiation. Some clades are strongly associated with Levantine populations, others with Arabian groups or eastern Mediterranean coastal communities. The internal branching and time depth fit with a Near Eastern origin followed by slow but accumulative diffusion.
- E-M34 (major descendant clade)
- Minor or less sampled E-M123* lineages
- Downstream branches associated with Near Eastern and Mediterranean populations
Notes & context
E-M123 is particularly important for studies examining the paternal ancestry of Near Eastern, Jewish and some Mediterranean populations. Although it is not as frequent as certain other E lineages, its geographic focus and well defined downstream structure make it a high value marker for fine scale demographic reconstructions. Because many regions where E-M123 is present have rich archaeological and historical records, the clade provides a useful bridge between genetic timelines and documented cultural developments. Continued whole Y sequencing will almost certainly reveal additional structure within E-M123 outside the currently dominant E-M34 branch.
References & external links