A · BT · CT · CF · F · J · J1-M267 · J1-P58 · J1-L147.1 · J1-ZS1624

Haplogroup J1-ZS1624

Macro-haplogroup
J
Parent clade
J1-L147.1
Formed (estimate)
c. 4,500 to 5,800 years before present
TMRCA (estimate)
c. 1,200 to 1,800 years ago

Overview

J1-ZS1624 is a downstream subclade of the major Arabian-rooted J1-L147.1 cluster and formed among pastoralist groups inhabiting northern Arabia during the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age. These early communities followed pastoral mobility circuits structured around wells, small oases and landforms that provided intermittent grazing, forming demographic frameworks later associated with North Arabian tribal expansions. During the Bronze and Iron Ages, ZS1624-bearing communities took part in the demographic movements shaping the Hejaz, Najd and the lower Mesopotamian frontier. Founder effects evident in downstream phylogenetic branching indicate stable clan-based social structures. The early Islamic period saw further spread of some lineages into Iraq and the Gulf, where localized microbranches emerged.

Geographic distribution

Most common in Saudi Arabia and Iraq; moderate in Jordan and Syria; low in Kuwait and the Levant.

Ancient DNA

  • Bronze Age Levant individuals show upstream J1-P58 ancestry consistent with proto ZS1624.
  • Iron Age Arabian frontier remains display diversification patterns matching early ZS1624.
  • Early Islamic burials in the Hejaz contain downstream ZS1624 clades.

Phylogeny & subclades

A structured J1-L147.1 lineage tied to desert-steppe mobility, clan formation and the emergence of early Semitic-speaking communities.

  • ZS1624*
  • Hejaz clusters
  • Northern Arabian microclades

Notes & context

A lineage significant for reconstructing the early stages of North Arabian tribal demographic history.