A · BT · CT · CF · F · J · J1-M267 · J1-P58 · J1-L147.1 · J1-ZS1003

Haplogroup J1-ZS1003

Macro-haplogroup
J
Parent clade
J1-L147.1
Formed (estimate)
c. 4,600 to 6,000 years before present
TMRCA (estimate)
c. 1,300 to 2,100 years ago

Overview

J1-ZS1003 is a downstream component of the Arabian-centered J1-L147.1 cluster, originating among early pastoral populations inhabiting the northern Arabian steppe and adjacent desert environments during the late Neolithic to early Bronze Age. These populations engaged in water-source-dependent mobility cycles tied to wells, wadis and seasonal pastures, forming part of the early substrate that contributed to later North Arabian tribal systems. Throughout the Bronze and Iron Ages, ZS1003-bearing groups participated in tribal expansions across the Hejaz, northern Arabia and the southern Levant. The downstream phylogeny shows clear founder effects linked to regionally confined clans, some of which migrated into Mesopotamia and the Gulf region during the early Islamic period. Archaeogenetic signals from the Levant and Arabian frontier mirror ancestral states consistent with this lineage's diversification.

Geographic distribution

Most common in Saudi Arabia and Iraq; moderate in Jordan and Syria; low in Kuwait, Egypt and Iran.

Ancient DNA

  • Bronze Age Levant samples carry J1-P58 variants aligned with proto ZS1003.
  • Iron Age desert frontier individuals display branching patterns compatible with early ZS1003.
  • Early Islamic burials across Arabia contain downstream derivatives tied to this lineage.

Phylogeny & subclades

A structured J1-L147.1 descendant shaped by desert tribalization, pastoral mobility and regionally anchored founder effects.

  • ZS1003*
  • Hejaz derivatives
  • Northern Arabian microclades

Notes & context

A lineage essential for reconstructing early Semitic-speaking tribal expansions and mobility dynamics across northern Arabia.