Overview
J1-ZS1187 is a downstream branch of the Arabian-centered J1-L147.1 lineage and originated among pastoralist populations living across northern Arabia and the Hejaz during the late Neolithic to early Bronze Age transition. These groups relied on desert-steppe ecological systems based on well networks, wadis and short-range seasonal mobility that shaped early Semitic-speaking tribal substrates. During the Bronze and Iron Ages, ZS1187-bearing populations participated in the formation of North Arabian tribal networks, with downstream microclades linked to Hejaz, Najd and western Mesopotamian communities. Its phylogenetic structure shows clear founder effects associated with tribal segmentation. Later historical expansions during the early Islamic period broadened the lineage's reach into Iraq and the Gulf.