A · BT · CT · CF · F · J · J1-M267 · J1-P58 · J1-L147.1 · J1-ZS2051

Haplogroup J1-ZS2051

Macro-haplogroup
J
Parent clade
J1-L147.1
Formed (estimate)
c. 4,200 to 5,600 years before present
TMRCA (estimate)
c. 1,000 to 1,600 years ago

Overview

J1-ZS2051 is a downstream lineage of the Arabian-rooted J1-L147.1 umbrella and formed among pastoralist groups inhabiting the northern Arabian Peninsula during the early Bronze Age. These populations relied on desert wells, sporadic water sources and predictable grazing niches that shaped mobile pastoral cycles. Their demographic structure parallels the early tribal formations that later defined the North Arabian and Hejaz cultural regions. In the Bronze and Iron Ages, ZS2051-bearing groups expanded across the Hejaz, Najd and into the western Mesopotamian frontier. Downstream structure reveals several founder events that established stable clan-level segmentation. The early Islamic period saw additional dispersion into Iraq, Kuwait and parts of the Gulf region, resulting in microclade formation driven by settlement growth and intertribal integration.

Geographic distribution

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

Ancient DNA

  • Bronze Age Levant genomes preserve upstream J1-P58 components consistent with proto ZS2051.
  • Iron Age Arabian frontier burials display diversification patterns aligned with ZS2051 emergence.
  • Early Islamic Hejaz remains show downstream ZS2051 lineages.

Phylogeny & subclades

A J1-L147.1 branch shaped by desert pastoralism, tribal founder events and long-term North Arabian demographic continuity.

  • ZS2051*
  • Hejaz branches
  • Northern Arabian microclades

Notes & context

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