A · BT · CT · CF · F · J · J1-M267 · J1-P58 · J1-Y6684

Haplogroup J1-Y6684

Macro-haplogroup
J
Parent clade
J1-P58
Formed (estimate)
c. 4,300 to 5,800 years before present
TMRCA (estimate)
c. 900 to 1,600 years ago

Overview

J1-Y6684 is a downstream lineage of the Arabian-centered J1-P58 radiation and likely developed among pastoralist populations inhabiting northern Arabia during the early Bronze Age. These groups relied on desert-steppe grazing systems organized around wells, ephemeral streams and oasis-linked corridors. Their seasonal mobility routes paralleled the pathways that would later define the demographic landscape of early North Arabian tribal societies. During the Bronze and Iron Ages, Y6684-bearing groups participated in expansions spreading across the Hejaz, Wadi Sirhan and the arid margins of southern Jordan. The downstream topology of the lineage shows several founder-driven events tied to early tribal segmentation. In the early Islamic period, Y6684 lineages dispersed eastward into Iraq and the Gulf region, forming new microbranches through localized expansion.

Geographic distribution

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

Ancient DNA

  • Bronze Age southern Levant samples show upstream J1-P58 variation compatible with early Y6684.
  • Iron Age northern Arabian burials display branching patterns that match proto Y6684 diversification.
  • Early Islamic Hejaz skeletal remains preserve downstream Y6684 offshoots.

Phylogeny & subclades

A structured J1-P58 derivative shaped by desert pastoralism, founder-based tribal organization and early Semitic-speaking expansions.

  • Y6684*
  • Hejaz clusters
  • Northern Arabian offshoots

Notes & context

A lineage valuable for reconstructing demographic processes in early North Arabian pastoral populations.