A · BT · CT · CF · F · J · J1-M267 · J1-P58 · J1-Y4639

Haplogroup J1-Y4639

Macro-haplogroup
J
Parent clade
J1-P58
Formed (estimate)
c. 5,000 to 6,600 years before present
TMRCA (estimate)
c. 1,400 to 2,200 years ago

Overview

J1-Y4639 is a downstream Arabian lineage derived from the broad J1-P58 expansion and is associated with populations that inhabited the northern Arabian plateau and adjacent regions of the southern Levant during the early Bronze Age. These ancestral groups practiced highly mobile pastoral lifestyles, relying on seasonal grazing cycles, desert wells and wadis that structured the broader movement patterns of early North Arabian tribal societies. Archaeological parallels include early fortified oases, proto-caravan staging points and mobile encampment systems in areas such as Wadi Sirhan and northern Hejaz. During the Bronze and Iron Ages, Y4639-bearing populations took part in the territorial expansions of early North Arabian tribal confederations. Many downstream subbranches reflect localized founder events tied to clan structures distributed across the Hejaz and central northern Arabia. The downstream diversification pattern further indicates that some lineages migrated into Mesopotamia and the Gulf region during the early Islamic expansion period.

Geographic distribution

Common in Saudi Arabia and Jordan; moderate in Iraq, Syria and Kuwait; low in Egypt and the Levant.

Ancient DNA

  • Bronze Age southern Levantine individuals preserve J1-P58 diversity compatible with Y4639 ancestry.
  • Iron Age North Arabian remains show branching patterns consistent with early Y4639 development.
  • Early Islamic burials in the Hejaz display downstream Y4639 microclades.

Phylogeny & subclades

A structured J1-P58 lineage marked by desert-steppe pastoralism, tribal founder events and early North Arabian mobility patterns.

  • Y4639*
  • Hejaz branches
  • Northern Arabian derivatives

Notes & context

A lineage that illuminates tribal demographic formation and mobility across northern Arabia during late prehistory and early historic eras.