The determination of the primary patrilineal genetic signature associated with the emergence of Semitic languages and the ancient Israelite population remains a subject of intense debate in archaeogenetics. This study critically evaluates two competing hypotheses: the "Levantine-Presumption," which posits Y-haplogroup J1-P58 (J1a2b) as the indigenous Semitic marker, and the "Autochthonous-Continuity" model, which identifies E1b1b1 (specifically subclades E-M215 and E-V68) as the true proto-Semitic lineage. By synthesizing temporal sequencing, autosomal ancestry profiles, and the archaeological record of the Natufian and Neolithic Levant, this paper argues that E1b1b1 is the superior candidate for the original, patrilineal Semitic and Israelite lineage. The evidence demonstrates that E1b1b1 exhibits deep continuity in the Levant predating the Bronze Age by millennia, whereas J1-P58 appears abruptly in the region coincident with Indo-Aryan/Indo-Iranian migrations, lacking the requisite pre-Bronze Age indigenous substrate. While the haplogroup J1-P58 is frequently conflated with Semitic identity in modern discourse due to its high frequency among contemporary Arab and Jewish populations, a rigorous archaeogenetic analysis suggests this association is largely a result of later demographic shifts rather than deep ancestral roots. This paper posits that haplogroup E1b1b, specifically subclades E-M215 and E-V68, represents the truly autochthonous patrilineage of the region, deeply rooted in the Natufian and pre-Neolithic populations of the Levant and North Africa. By synthesizing ancient DNA (aDNA) data from Natufian contexts (~12,000 BCE) through the Bronze Age Canaanite and Iron Age Israelite periods, this study demonstrates a continuous presence of E1b1b that predates the Bronze Age influxes of Caucasus-and-steppe-derived J1a, R1a, and R1b. The analysis further examines the genetic profiles of modern Samaritan Cohanim, who, unlike theirdiasporic counterparts, retain E1b1b lineages consistent with the indigenous Levantine substrate. These findings challenge the "Levantine-Presumption" applied to J1-P58 and re-establish E1b1b as the biological marker of the proto-Semitic speaking communities who developed the earliest Semitic languages in situ, long before the arrival of Indo-European groups that would later adopt and propagate these linguistic traditions.
Noel A. Bota J.D. (Mon,) studied this question.