For centuries, the origin of the Indian-European language family was a linguistic tapestry woven throughout the continent and was said to be in mystical form by nearly half of the world’s population. Now, a study that analyzes ancient DNA potentially uncovers missing links, rewriting the history of these languages and our own ancestral roots.
India-European language family has over 400 languages, including Germanic, Romantic, Slavic, Indian-Iranian and Celtic, dating back to a common ancestor: Primitive India-European (PIE). Although linguists and historians have long investigated the origins and dissemination of schools, important knowledge gaps remain until now.
Researchers led by Ron Pinhasi of the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Vienna have published their discoveries in the Journal of Nature in collaboration with David Reich at the Ancient DNA Laboratory at Harvard University. . The study analyzed ancient DNA from 435 people unearthed from archaeological sites in Eurasia, spanning from 6,400 to 2,000 B.C.
Previous genetic studies have established the Yamnaya culture of the Pontic-Caspian steppe (3,300-2,600 B.C.), located north of Black and Caspian Sean, and are the main participants. Starting from 3,100 BC, the Yamnaya people have expanded to Europe and Central Asia, leaving genetic markers throughout the Eurasian continent. Dating from 3,100 to 1,500 BC, this “prairie lineage” is widely regarded as the most important demographic event in the past 5,000 years and is considered a key vector for scattering Indian-European languages.
However, a branch of the Indo-European family tree remains a mystery: Anatolian languages, including Hittites. This branch may be the first to diverge from PIE, which uniquely retains the linguistic characteristics lost in other Indo-European languages. Interestingly, previous studies failed to detect grassland ancestry among Hittites.
This new study provides a compelling explanation. The researchers believe that the Anatolah language comes from the language spoken by previously unrepresented groups: the cosolithic population of the grassland between the North Caucasus Mountains and the Lower Volga River, dating from 4,500 to 3,500 BC. . The newly identified group is known as the Caucasus-Low Volga (CLV) population.
Crucially, when using genetics of CLV populations as a reference point, the study revealed at least five people from Anatolia who dated before or after the Hittite era. This discovery bridges the gap that previously separated the Anatolian language from the rest of the Indian-European family.
The study further showed that the Yamnaya population came from approximately 80% of the ancestors of the CLV group. Furthermore, the CLV population contributed at least one tenth of the Anatolians in the central Bronze Age, the Hittite speakers. “The CLV group therefore can connect to all IE-speaking populations and are the ancestors of Hittites and all later IE languages, and are the best candidates for the population that speaks of Indo-Anatolian,” explains Ron Pinhasi.
The researchers believe that the integration of the original Indian-Vanatolian language shared by the Anatolians and the Indian-European people reached its peak in the CLV community from 4,400 to 4,000 BC.
“The discovery of the CLV population is a missing link in the Indo-European story, marking a turning point in rebuilding the 200-year history of the origins of Indian Europeans, and the routes that these people spread in Europe and parts Ron Pinhasi concluded .
While providing important insights, this study also opens up new avenues for exploration. There is no doubt that future research will take a deeper look at the cultural practices, social structures and migration patterns of the CLV population, further illuminating the complex history of Indian-European language families and their speakers. The study, titled “The Genetic Sources of Indian Europeans”, was published in the journal Nature on February 5, 2025.
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