A · BT · CT · CF · F · J · J1-M267 · J1-P58 · J1-L147.1 · J1-ZS1683

Haplogroup J1-ZS1683

Macro-haplogroup
J
Parent clade
J1-L147.1
Formed (estimate)
c. 4,400 to 5,800 years before present
TMRCA (estimate)
c. 1,200 to 1,800 years ago

Overview

J1-ZS1683 is a downstream branch of the major Arabian-rooted J1-L147.1 cluster. It appears to have formed among early pastoralist communities occupying the northern Arabian desert and the Hejaz frontier during the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age. These groups relied heavily on desert wells, seasonal water channels and short-range transhumance, developing social structures that would later feed into the formation of early Semitic-speaking tribal populations. During the Bronze and Iron Ages, ZS1683-bearing populations contributed to expansions through the Hejaz, Najd and western Mesopotamia. The lineage’s downstream branching reflects several founder events tied to specific tribal clusters. In the early Islamic era, some lineages moved into Iraq and regions along the Gulf coast, establishing new settlement patterns and forming additional subbranches.

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 ZS1683.
  • Iron Age desert frontier samples contain signatures aligned with early ZS1683 formations.
  • Early Islamic Hejaz remains preserve downstream ZS1683 derivatives.

Phylogeny & subclades

A structured J1-L147.1 lineage tied to desert pastoralism, founder-driven tribal formation and northward Semitic expansions.

  • ZS1683*
  • Hejaz clusters
  • Northern Arabian microclades

Notes & context

A lineage essential for mapping the early demographic landscape of North Arabian and Hejazi tribal populations.