Evidence from population genetics Afroasiatic Urheimat

the commonly cited genetic marker in recent decades has been y chromosome, passed father son along paternal lines in un-mixed form, , therefore gives relatively clear definition of 1 human line of descent common ancestors.

several branches of humanity s y dna family tree have been proposed having association spread of afroasiatic languages.

1. haplogroup e1b1b thought have originated in horn of africa. in general, afroasiatic speaking populations have relatively high frequencies of haplogroup, notable exception of chadic speaking populations. christopher ehret , shomarka keita have suggested geography of e1b1b lineage coincides distribution of afroasiatic languages.

2. haplogroup j1c3 (y-dna), formally known j1e , more common paternal lineage e1b1b in semitic speaking populations, associated middle eastern origins , has apparently been spread there after original dispersion of afroasiatic.

haplogroup e (y-dna) (ref. genetic atlas)

3. haplogroup r1b1a (r-v88), , sub-clade r-v69, has strong relationship chadic speaking populations, unlike other afroasiatic speakers have low frequencies of haplogroup e1b1b. majority of r-v88 found in northern , central africa, in chadic speaking populations. less common in neighbouring populations. authors found evidence of high concentration in western egypt , evidence closest related types of r1b found in middle east, , lesser extent southern europe. proposed eastern saharan origin chadic r1b agree linguistic theories such of christopher ehret, chadic , berber form related group within afroasiatic, originated in area of sahara.

in contrast evidence paternally inherited y dna, recent study has shown branch of mitochondrial haplogroup l3 links maternal ancestry of chadic speakers sahel cushitic speakers horn of africa.

other mitochondrial lineages associated afroasiatic include mitochondrial haplogroups m1 , haplogroup u6. gonzalez et al. 2007 suggest afroasiatic speakers may have dispersed horn of africa carrying subclades m1a , u6a1.

according autosomal dna study hodgson et al. (2014), afroasiatic languages spread across africa , near east ancestral population(s) carrying newly identified non-african genetic component, researchers dub ethio-somali . ethio-somali component today common among afroasiatic-speaking populations in horn of africa. closely related maghrebi non-african genetic component, , believed have diverged other non-african ancestries @ least 23,000 years ago. on basis, researchers suggest original ethio-somali carrying population(s) arrived in pre-agricultural period near east, having crossed on northeastern africa via sinai peninsula. population split 2 branches, 1 group heading westward toward maghreb , other moving south horn. related hypothesis associates origin of ancestors of afroasiatic speakers result of reflux population southwest asia during late palaeolithic put forward daniel mccall.