Haplogroup J-M267, also commonly known as Haplogroup J1, is a subclade (branch) of Y-DNA haplogroup J-P209 (commonly known as haplogroup J) along with its sibling clade haplogroup J-M172 (commonly known as haplogroup J2). (All these haplogroups have had other historical names listed below.)
The oldest J-M267 positive remains found so far are from a Caucasus Hunter-Gatherer from Satsurblia cave, Georgia.
Men from this lineage share a common paternal ancestor, which is demonstrated and defined by the presence of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) mutation referred to as M267, which was announced in . This haplogroup is found today in significant frequencies in many areas in or near the Arabian Peninsula and Western Asia. Out of its native Asian Continent, it is found at very high frequencies in Sudan. It is also found at very high but lesser extent in parts of the Caucasus, Ethiopia and parts of North Africa and amongst most Levant peoples, including Jewish groups, especially those with Cohen surnames. It can also be found much less commonly, but still occasionally in significant amounts, in parts of southern Europe and as far east as Central Asia.
Origins Since the discovery of haplogroup J-P209 it has generally been recognized that it shows signs of having evolved ~ 20,000 years ago somewhere in northwestern Iran, the Caucasus, the Armenian Highlands, and northern Mesopotamia. The frequency and diversity of both its major branches, J-M267 and J-M172, in that region makes them candidates as genetic markers of the spread of farming technology during the Neolithic, which is proposed to have had a major impact upon human populations.
J-M267 has several recognized subclades, some of which were recognized before J-M267 itself was recognized, for example J-M62 . With one notable exception, J-P58, most of these are not common . Because of the dominance of J-P58 in J-M267 populations in many areas, discussion of J-M267's origins require a discussion of J-P58 at the same time.
Haplogroup J-P58 is strongly associated with ancient populations from the Caucasus and ancient Iran. Current DNA research indicates that this haplogroup was absent in all Natufian and Neolithic Levant male individuals examined thus far, but emerged during the Bronze Age in Lebanon and Jordan along with ancestry related to Chalcolithic Iranians. This ancestry penetrated the Levant between 3,300 and 5,900 YBP and Arabia between 2,000 and 3,500 YBP. These times overlap with the dates for the Bronze Age origin and spread of Semitic languages in the Middle East estimated from lexical data.
Distribution
Africa
North Africa and Horn of Africa North Africa received Semitic-language speaking migrations, according to some studies it may have been diffused in recent time by Arabs who, mainly from the 7th century A.D., expanded to northern Africa ( and ). However the Canary Islands is not known to have had any Semitic language. In North Africa J-M267 is dominated by J-P58, and dispersed in a very uneven manner according to studies so far, often but not always being lower among Berber and/or non-urban populations. In Ethiopia there are signs of older movements of J-M267 into Africa across the Red Sea, not only in the J-P58 form. This also appears to be associated with Semitic languages. According to a study in 2011, in Tunisia, J-M267 is significantly more abundant in the urban (31.3%) than in the rural total population (2.5%) . Population Sample size J*(xJ-M172) total J-M267 J-M267(xP58) J-P58 publication previous research on same samplesAlgeria (Arabs from Oran)102NA22.5%NANAAlgeria20NA35%NANAEgypt147NA21.1%1.4%19.7%Egypt124NA19.8%NANAEgypt (Siwa, Western Desert)35NA31.4%NANALibya (Tuareg)47NA0%NANALibya (Benghazi)238NA39.5%NANAAlvarez 2014 Elmrghni 2012Morocco (Arabs)87NA26.4%NANAFadhlaoui-Zid 2013Morocco (Arabs)49NA20.4%NANAMorocco (Arabs)28NA60.7%NANAUnderhill 2000Morocco (Arabs)19NA31.5%NANAFrancalacci 2008Morocco (Berbers)64NA6.3%NANAMorocco (Berbers)103NA10.7%NANAMorocco (Rabat)267NA21.3%NANAAlvarez 2014Aboukhalid 2010Morocco (Casablanca)166NA15.7%NANAAlvarez 2014 Laouina 2011Morocco (Figuig)96NA29.2%NANAAlvarez 2014 Palet 2010Morocco (El Jadida)49NA8.2%NANAAlvarez 2014Morocco (Fes)108NA16.7%0.0%16.7%Regueiro 2015Tunisia73NA34.2%NANATunisia601Na16.64%NANAPestano J, et al. (2013)Tunisia (Sousse)220NA25.9%0.0%25.9%Fadhlaoui-Zid 2015Tunisia (Tunis)148NA32.4%1.3%31.1%Tunisia52NA34.6%NANATunisia (Bou Omran Berbers)40NA0%NANATunisia (Bou Saad Berbers)40NA5%0%5%Tunisia (Jerbian Arabs)46NA8.7%NANATunisia (Jerbian Berbers)47NA0%NANATunisia (Sened Berbers)35NA31.4%0%31.4%Tunisia (Andalusi Zaghouan)32NA43.8%0%43.8%Tunisia (Cosmopolitan Tunis)33NA24.20%24.2%Tunisia (Sejenane)47NA34.0%NANAAlvarez 2014 Frigi 2011Tunisia (Sfax)56NA25%0.0%25%Regueiro 2015 Tunisia (Beja)72NA15.3%0.0%15.3%Regueiro 2015 Canary Islands (pre-Hispanic)30NA16.7%NANACanary Islands (17th-18th c)42NA11.9%NANACanary Islands652NA3.5%NANASahrawis89NA20.2%NANA and Sudan (Khartoum)35NA74.3%0.0%74.3% and Sudan (Sudanese Arabs)35NA17.1%0.0%17.1%Sudan (Nilo-Saharans)61NA4.9%3.3%1.6%Ethiopia (Oromo)78NA2.6%2.6%0.0%Ethiopia (Amhara)48NA29.2%8.3%20.8%Ethiopia (Arsi)8522%NANANAEthiopia9521%NANANASomalis 2010.5%2.5%NA2.5%Sanchez 2005J-P58 might be 5% in upcoming studyComoros293NA5.0%NANASouth Africa (Lemba)76NA39.5%26.3%13.2%Soodyall 2011Zimbabwe (Lemba)54NA9.3%9.3%NASoodyall 2011
Asia
South Asia J*(xJ-M172) was found in India among Indian Muslims. Population Sample size J*(xJ-M172) total J-M267 J-M267(xP58) J-P58 PublicationIndia (Shia)16110.6%NANANAIndia (Sunni)1292.3%NANANAIndia (Mappla)4010%NANANA
West Asia The area including eastern Turkey and the Zagros and Taurus mountains, has been identified as a likely area of ancient J-M267 diversity. Both J-P58 and other types of J-M267 are present, sometimes with similar frequencies. Population Sample size Total J-M267 J-M267(xP58) J-P58 Publication Previous research on same samplesTurkey5239.0%3.1%5.9%Iran15011.3%2.7%8.7%Iran (Khuzestan)NA33.4%NANAKivisild 2012Iraq (Kurds)9311.8%4.3%7.5%Iraq (Assyrians)2828.6%17.9%10.7%Iraq (Arabs)5664.1%1.8%62.3%Iran (Assyrians)3116.1%9.7%6.5%Iran923.2%NANATurkey (Assyrians)2520.0%16.0%4.0%
Levantine populations J-M267 is very common throughout this region, dominated by J-P58, but some specific sub-populations have notably low frequencies. Population Sample size Total J-M267 J-M267(xP58) J-P58 Publication Previous research on same samplesSyria55433.6%NANASyria (Jabel Druze)3414.7%2.9%11.8%Syria (Hama Sunnis)3647.2%2.8%44.4%Syria (Ma'loula Aramaeans)446.8%4.5%2.3%Syria (Sednaya Syriac Catholic)1414.3%0.0%14.3%Syria (Damascus Syriac Catholic)429.5%0.0%9.5%Syria (Alawites)4526.7%0.0%26.7%Syria (North-east Assyrians)303.3%0.0%3.3%Syria (Damascus Ismailis)5158.8%0.0%58.8%Lebanon95125%NANAGalilee Druze17213.4%1.2%12.2%Arabs in Israel (Akka)10139.2%NANAArabs in Israel4932.7%0.0%32.7%Jordan7648.7%0.0%48.7%Jordan27335.5%NANAJordan (Amman)10140.6%NANAJordan (Dead Sea)458.9%NANAJews (Trás-os-Montes, Portugal)5712.3%NANAJews (Cohanim)21546.0%0.0%46.0%Jews (non-Cohanim Ashkenazi)1,36014.9%0.9%14.0%Bedouin (Negev)2867.9%3.6%64.3%
Arabian peninsula
J-P58 is the most common Y-Chromosome haplogroup among men from all of this region. Population Sample size Total J-M267 J-M267(xP58) J-P58 Publication Previous research on same samplesSaudi Arabia15740.1%NANAQatar7258.3%1.4%56.9%United Arab Emirates16434.8%0.0%34.8%Yemen6272.6%4.8%67.7%Kuwait11745.2%NANAOman12138.0%0.8%37.2%
Europe J-M267 is uncommon in most of Northern and Central Europe. It is, however, found in significant pockets at levels of 5–10% among many populations in southern Europe. A 2018 genetic study (Finocchio et al. 2018) with the extant variation strongly suggests the Caucasus and regions North of it as likely to be an origin of the Greek and Italian J-M267 haplogroup. Population Sample size Total J-M267 J-M267(xP58) J-P58 publicationAlbania563.6%NANANorth Macedonia (Albanian speakers)646.3%NANAMalta907.8%NANAEl-Sibai et al.,2009, Percentage of haplogroupsGreece (Crete)1938.3%NANAGreece (mainland)1714.7%NANAGreece (Macedonia)561.8%NANAGreece2491.6%NANABulgaria8083.4%NANARomania1301.5%NANARussia2230.4%NANACroatia (Osijek Croats)290%NANASlovenia751.3%NANAItaly (northeast Italians)670%NANAItaly (Italians)9150.7%NANAItaly (Sicily)2363.8%NANAFrance (Provence)512%NANAPortugal (North)1011%NANAPortugal (Centre)1024.9%NANAPortugal (South)1007%NANAPortugal (Açores)1212.5%NANAPortugal (Madeira)1290%NANA
Caucasus The Caucasus has areas of both high and low J-M267 frequency. The J-M267 in the Caucasus is also notable because most of it is not within the J-P58 subclade. Population Sample size Total J-M267 J-M267(xP58) J-P58 PublicationAvars11559%58%1%Dargins10170%69%1%Kubachi6599%99%0%Kaitak3385%85%0%Lezghins8144.4%44.4%0%Shapsug1000%0%0%Abkhaz580%0%0%Circassians14211.9%4.9%7%Ingush1432.8%2.8%0%Ossetians3571.3%1.3%0.0%Chechens (Ingushetia)11221%21%0%Chechens (Chechnya)11825%25%0%Chechens (Dagestan)10016%16%0%Azerbaijan4615.2%NANA
Subclade Distribution
J-P58
The P58 marker which defines subgroup J1c3 was announced in , but had been announced earlier under the name Page08 in ( and called that again in ). It is very prevalent in many areas where J-M267 is common, especially in parts of North Africa and throughout the Arabian peninsula. It also makes up approximately 70% of the J-M267 among the Amhara of Ethiopia. Notably, it is not common among the J-M267 of the Caucasus.
proposed that J-P58 (that they refer to as J1e) might have first dispersed during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period, "from a geographical zone, including northeast Syria, northern Iraq and eastern Turkey toward Mediterranean Anatolia, Ismaili from southern Syria, Jordan, Palestine and northern Egypt." They further propose that the Zarzian material culture may be ancestral. They also propose that this movement of people may also be linked to the dispersal of Semitic languages by hunter-herders, who moved into arid areas during periods known to have had low rainfall. Thus, while other haplogroups including J-M267 moved out of the area with agriculturalists who followed the rainfall, populations carrying J-M267 remained with their flocks ( and ).
According to this scenario, after the initial neolithic expansion involving Semitic languages, which possibly reached as far as Yemen, a more recent dispersal occurred during the Chalcolithic or Early Bronze Age (approximately 3000–5000 BCE), and this involved the branch of Semitic which leads to the Arabic language. The authors propose that this involved a spread of some J-P58 from the direction of Syria towards Arab populations of the Arabian Peninsula and Negev.
On the other hand, the authors agree that later waves of dispersion in and around this area have also had complex effects upon the distributions of some types of J-P58 in some regions. They list three regions which are particularly important to their proposal: The Levant (Syria, Jordan, Israel and Palestine). In this area, note a "patchy distribution of J1c3 or J-P58 frequency" which is difficult to interpret, and which "may reflect the complex demographic dynamics of religion and ethnicity in the region". The Armenian Highlands, northern Iraq and western Iran. In this area, recognize signs that J-M267 might have an older presence, and on balance they accept the evidence but note that it could be in error. The southern area of Oman, Yemen and Ethiopia. In this area, recognize similar signs, but reject it as possibly a result of "either sampling variability and/or demographic complexity associated with multiple founders and multiple migrations."
The "YCAII=22-22 and DYS388≥15" cluster Studies show that J-P58 group is not only in itself very dominant in many areas where J-M267 or J1 are common, but it also contains a large cluster which had been recognized before the discovery of P58. It is still a subject of research though.