Overview
J1-YSC76 is a major downstream branch of J1-L147.1 that is most strongly associated with the Syro-Arabian desert margin and the Levant–Arabia transitional ecological zone. The lineage's age places its emergence during a period when pastoral nomadism, seasonal herding routes and oasis exchange networks formed increasingly complex social and economic systems across northern Arabia and the southern Levant. YSC76 likely expanded within populations that served as intermediaries between fully desert-adapted groups and semi-sedentary Levantine communities. Throughout the Iron Age, YSC76-bearing groups likely participated in tribal formations that interacted with Aramaean, Edomite, Nabataean and proto-Arabic-speaking societies. Its distributions reflect deep embedding in desert–steppe socioecological systems and adaptability to both nomadic and semi-sedentary lifestyles.
Geographic distribution
Modern frequencies of J1-YSC76 are highest in northern Saudi Arabia, Jordan, southern Syria, Iraq's western desert zones and the Sinai–Negev region. It appears at moderate levels among Bedouin groups and Levantine Arabs, and at lower levels in Egypt, Lebanon and the Arabian Gulf. Sparse but significant occurrences appear in Turkey and Iran due to historical-era migratory events. YSC76 lineages have also spread through Arab expansions into North Africa and the wider Islamic world.
Ancient DNA
- Iron Age individuals from the southern Levant show J1-M267 profiles consistent with early YSC76 substructure.
- Archaeogenetic traces in the Syrian Desert and northern Arabia indicate J1-P58 lineages related to the ancestral stages of YSC76.
- Historical Nabataean and North Arabian cultural zones likely included YSC76-bearing populations based on modern regional patterns.
- Late pre-Islamic and early Islamic skeletal remains from desert-edge settlements exhibit J1 lineages compatible with YSC76.
- Medieval Levantine and North Arabian remains show continued YSC76 presence tied to desert–steppe tribes.
Phylogeny & subclades
YSC76 forms a well-defined cluster under L147.1 and contains multiple downstream branches that show strong tribal and regional partitioning in northern Arabia, Jordan and Syria. Its phylogenetic pattern suggests a combination of Bronze and Iron Age expansions and later historical founder effects linked to tribal confederation dynamics. Unlike some southern Arabian clades, YSC76 is tuned to desert–steppe ecologies and transitional oasis systems.
- YSC76* (ancestral Syro-Arabian form)
- Northern Arabian microclades across Jordan and Saudi Arabia
- Levant-linked downstream variants
- Low-frequency Mesopotamian subbranches
Notes & context
J1-YSC76 is a marker of ancient desert–steppe populations and strongly correlates with ethnographic patterns of northern Arabian and Levantine Bedouin groups. However, its deep history precedes ethnonyms and historically recorded tribes; therefore, high-resolution SNP work is needed to associate specific branches with historical tribal expansions.
References & external links