A · BT · CT · CF · F · J · J1-M267 · J1-P58 · J1-L147.1 · J1-ZS2289

Haplogroup J1-ZS2289

Macro-haplogroup
J
Parent clade
J1-L147.1
Formed (estimate)
c. 4,100 to 5,400 years before present
TMRCA (estimate)
c. 1,000 to 1,500 years ago

Overview

J1-ZS2289 is a downstream subclade of the Arabian-centered J1-L147.1 umbrella and formed among pastoralist groups inhabiting northern Arabia during the early Bronze Age. These groups moved along defined pastoral corridors structured around seasonal water access and grazing patches, linking the Hejaz, Najd and parts of western Mesopotamia. Their demographic patterns align with early tribal systems associated with the rise of North Arabian cultural formations. During the Bronze and Iron Ages, ZS2289-bearing populations expanded across desert-steppe regions transitioning toward northern Arabia and the Iraqi frontier. Downstream structure demonstrates several founder events consistent with clan-based segmentation. With the expansion of the early Islamic world, downstream branches migrated into Iraq and the Gulf, where region-specific microclades developed.

Geographic distribution

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

Ancient DNA

  • Bronze Age Levant remains show upstream J1-P58 ancestry compatible with proto ZS2289.
  • Iron Age Arabian frontier burials reveal diversification patterns consistent with early ZS2289.
  • Early Islamic Hejaz skeletal remains preserve downstream ZS2289 subbranches.

Phylogeny & subclades

A J1-L147.1 derivative shaped by desert pastoralism, tribal founder events and sustained demographic continuity in northern Arabia.

  • ZS2289*
  • Hejaz branches
  • Northern Arabian microclades

Notes & context

A lineage of importance for reconstructing demographic processes within early North Arabian tribal populations.