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Haplogroup E-M215

E1b1b1

Macro-haplogroup
E
Parent clade
E1b1b
Formed (estimate)
around 18,000–22,000 years ago
TMRCA (estimate)
around 13,000–17,000 years ago

Overview

E-M215 is one of the principal branches of E1b1b and forms the trunk from which several important subclades emerge, including E-M78, E-M123 and E-M81. Its age places it in the Late Pleistocene, a period marked by shifting climatic zones and substantial movement between northeastern Africa and the Near East. E-M215's descendants played major roles in the spread of pastoralism, agriculture and later historical cultural expansions, making this lineage central to reconstructing population history across Africa, the Levant and the Mediterranean.

Geographic distribution

E-M215 is most strongly represented in northeastern Africa, the Horn of Africa, Egypt and the Levant. Its subclades extend into North Africa, Arabia, the eastern Mediterranean and southern Europe, where each branch displays distinct geographic patterns. The distribution of E-M215 reflects both ancient Afro-Levantine contacts and more recent demographic movements that shaped populations of the broader Mediterranean world.

Ancient DNA

  • Upstream E1b1b lineages and early E-M215-related samples are documented in ancient remains from the Levant, Egypt and northeastern Africa.
  • Neolithic and Bronze Age populations around the eastern Mediterranean show multiple E-M215-derived lineages, supporting a long-standing presence in the region.
  • African ancient DNA indicates substantial E-M215 diversity associated with pastoral and agro-pastoral expansions.

Phylogeny & subclades

E-M215 forms a major node under E1b1b and splits into three dominant branches: E-M78, E-M123 and E-M81. These clades reflect separate geographic expansions, with E-M78 linked to Africa and the eastern Mediterranean, E-M123 to the Levant and Arabian regions, and E-M81 to North Africa. The phylogeny highlights a long history of cross-regional interaction between Africa and southwest Asia.

  • E-M78
  • E-M123
  • E-M81

Notes & context

E-M215 serves as a central reference point for interpreting the downstream diversification of E1b1b. Its wide geographic footprint and major descendant branches make it one of the most studied paternal lineages in Afro-Eurasian population history.