Yervant1 Posted December 31, 2024 Report Share Posted December 31, 2024 LBV: Magazine Cultural independiente Dec 30 2024 The Origin of Italo-Celtic and Graeco-Armenian Languages Discovered A genetic study confirms the cultural and linguistic roots of ancient Mediterranean peoples by Guillermo Carvajal A scientific discovery has unveiled one of history’s greatest enigmas: the origin of Italo-Celtic and Graeco-Armenian languages, fundamental pillars of Mediterranean civilizations. An international team of geneticists and archaeologists has reconstructed the migration patterns and cultural blending that gave rise to these significant linguistic families. The research, recently published on the preprint server bioRxiv, sequenced the genomes of 314 ancient individuals who inhabited the Mediterranean region between 5,200 and 2,100 years ago. This analysis reveals a profound divergence between the populations of the eastern and western Mediterranean, a fact also reflected in the structures of the classical languages of these areas. The study identifies two main migratory currents responsible for shaping the genetic and linguistic roots of Mediterranean peoples. On one hand, the inhabitants of the western Mediterranean, including present-day Italy, France, and Spain, show a predominant genetic influence from the Bell Beaker culture, associated with Italic and Celtic languages. On the other hand, the populations of Greece and Armenia acquired their ancestry from the Yamnaya, a pastoralist group from Eastern Europe. Distribution of Bell Beaker-derived and Yamnaya-derived ancestry proportions obtained from the IBD admixture model. The proportion of each steppe source is standardized by the total steppe contributions, i.e. the sum of Corded Ware, Bell Beaker and Yamnaya-Samara contributions. Credit: Fulya Eylem Yediay et al. The genetic and cultural separation between the eastern and western Mediterranean is consistent with the linguistic theories of Italo-Celtic and Graeco-Armenian, supporting the idea that these groups evolved from distinct genetic and cultural influences, the researchers explain. The analysis suggests that the massive migrations of the Bronze Age were the main drivers of this diversification. The researchers documented how steppe populations brought not only their genetics but also cultural innovations, such as chariots and metallurgy, which were rapidly integrated into local societies. In Italy, for example, Italic languages, such as Latin, seem to have emerged thanks to the influence of the Bell Beaker culture, whose descendants came to dominate the cultural landscape of the peninsula before Romanization. Meanwhile, in Greece, individuals with Yamnaya ancestry settled in the Peloponnese, where they introduced the roots of what would later become the classical Greek language. Dispersion of Indo-European languages according to the Kurgan hypothesis. Credit: DEMIS Mapserver / Wikimedia Commons The research not only confirms the linguistic hypotheses of Italo-Celtic and Graeco-Armenian but also dismisses alternative theories, such as the Italo-Germanic hypothesis, which proposed a closer connection between Italic and Germanic languages. These findings highlight how genetic patterns can reflect complex linguistic trajectories. The interplay between genetics and linguistics offers us a unique window into understanding how ancient peoples moved, interacted, and evolved culturally, the researchers emphasize. The study also highlights how the Mediterranean served as a space for cultural and genetic exchange. Cyprus, for example, appears as a meeting point for the influences of Greece, the Levant, and Anatolia, while Italy shows a diverse mix that includes both local and migratory influences from Central Europe. The discovery marks a milestone in understanding how Indo-European languages, which dominate much of the world today, diversified and flourished in their early stages. SOURCES Fulya Eylem Yediay, Guus Kroonen, et al., Ancient genomics support deep divergence between Eastern and Western Mediterranean Indo-European languages, bioRxiv (2024). DOI:10.1101/2024.12.02.626332 https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2024/12/the-origin-of-italo-celtic-and-graeco-armenian-languages-discovered/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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