A novel interdisciplinary investigation has provided exciting new perspectives on the formation of the Indo-European language family through the analysis of prehistoric DNA data.
This collaborative research project involving 91 leading scientists, including the distinguished Eske Willerslev from the University of Copenhagen, has successfully traced back the ancestral roots of populations important to the dispersal of this language group across Europe and parts of Asia.
Peering Back in Time through Genetic Markers
The innovative study reveals crucial evidence of a distinct genetic divergence between Bronze Age populations linked to the Eastern and Western Mediterranean regions. The team’s data suggests that Western groups, including populations now in modern-day Spain, France, and Italy, inherited their steppe lineage through the Bell Beaker culture, whereas Eastern groups, such as Greek and Armenian populations, have lineages more directly derived from Yamnaya ancestors.
Centered on the legendary Pontic Steppe, north of the Black Sea, this area is widely regarded as the launching point for the spread of Indo-European languages. The researchers note that while previous genetic assessments verified the presence of steppe ancestry throughout Europe, it remained unclear whether this steppe heritage was from single or multiple sources.
Employing 314 ancient genomes dated from 2,100 to 5,200 years ago and collected from across a broad swathe of land stretching from Spain to Lebanon, the researchers utilized sophisticated identity-by-descent models to decipher distinct sources of steppe ancestry. Complemented by strontium isotope analysis on 224 individuals, the group mapped the migration and movement patterns of ancient populations.
The interdisciplinary approach, marrying genetic information with isotope data, identified two primary pathways by which steppe lineage permeated the Mediterranean during the Bronze Age. This suggested a high degree of movement and interaction, as evidenced by individuals with varying geographical ties, such as an Italian person with divergent locations of childhood and adulthood, or cases in Cyprus linking genetic heritage to Scandinavia, implying far-reaching commercial exchange.
When this genetic evidence was aligned with existing linguistic frameworks, a stark division emerged between Eastern and Western populations of Indo-European language speakers. This supports certain linguistic hypotheses like Italo-Celtic and Graeco-Armenian and challenges others, including the Indo-Greek and Italo-Germanic theories.
For those seeking a comprehensive exploration of this subject, the study entitled “Ancient genomics support deep divergence between Eastern and Western Mediterranean Indo-European languages” is available on the bioRxiv preprint server.
These groundbreaking insights stress the value of multi-disciplinary work in reconstructing the intricate mosaic of our collective heritage, leading to a more refined perception of humanity’s historical saga.
