Evidence For A Divergence Between Eastern And Western Mediterranean Indo-European Languages Finally Provided By Ancient Genomics Study

Conny Waters - AncientPages.com - The Indo-European languages rank among the most widely spoken languages globally. However, the early diversification of these languages continues to be a subject of debate and controversy among scholars and linguists.

Distribution of Bell Beaker-derived and Yamnaya-derived ancestry proportions
291 obtained from the IBD admixture model. The proportion of each steppe source is 292 standardized by the total steppe contributions, i.e. the sum of Corded Ware, Bell Beaker and 293 Yamnaya_Samara contributions. source

An international team of researchers has reconstructed the migration patterns and cultural interactions that significantly contributed to the development of linguistic families.

It's important to note that beginning around 5,000 BP, extensive human migrations markedly altered the genetic composition of populations throughout Eurasia. These movements involved multiple waves of steppe-related ancestry linked to the mobile pastoralists of the Early Bronze Age Yamnaya culture, who traversed considerable distances and left behind notable cultural and genetic imprints.
Such migrations are believed to have been instrumental in the prehistoric spread of the Indo-European language family.

This study provides valuable insights into how diverse cultures and languages have evolved and intertwined over time, offering a deeper understanding of the complex processes that shaped our linguistic heritage.

The origin of Italo-Celtic and Graeco-Armenian languages has long been puzzling therefore, now, researchers have conducted a comprehensive sequencing of genomes from 314 ancient individuals originating from the Mediterranean and adjacent regions, from Southern and Central-Eastern Europe, as well as from the Eastern Mediterranean comprising Spain, France, Italy, Hungary, Moldova, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon.

These individuals mostly belong to the Bronze Age, spanning from 5, 200 BP to 2, 100 BP.

In the subsequent critical phase of the study, the research team undertook strontium isotope analyses on 224 individuals.¨, and also radiocarbon-dating of 144 individuals.

Geographical distribution of the IBD clusters of individuals in the 5th and 4th
millennia BP. source

The findings reveal a pronounced east-west division in steppe ancestry across Southern Europe during the Bronze Age. Notably, it is demonstrated that the introduction of steppe ancestry into Spain, France, and Italy was facilitated by Bell Beaker populations from Western Europe. This likely played a significant role in the development of Italic and Celtic languages.

The Armenian and Greek populations, on the other hand, obtained steppe ancestry directly from the Yamnaya groups of Eastern Europe. These findings align with the linguistic Italo-Celtic and Graeco-Armenian hypotheses, which explain the origins of most Mediterranean Indo-European languages from Classical Antiquity.

The findings are consistent with certain linguistic divergence models for the Indo-European language family while contradicting others.

Here, it is important to underline the significant role of ancient DNA in revealing prehistoric diversifications among human populations and language communities.

In regard to Southern and Central Eastern Europe, the spread of steppe-related ancestry within Europe has been attributed to the Yamnaya populations. This genetic influence was further propagated through their subsequent admixture with local European populations following interactions with the Globular Amphora culture (an archaeological culture in Central Europe from 3400 to 2800 BC, known particularly for its globular-shaped pots with handles).

There is an interesting pattern: a clear division in steppe ancestry between the Eastern and Western Mediterranean.

“By introducing a third steppe-related source from the “Bell Beaker-related (0_4_2)” cluster, Southwestern Europe shows ancestry that is BB-related, while that of Greece is Yamnaya-related, particularly in the Peloponnese. The Balkans, however, exhibit mixed ancestries of CWC/BB and Yamnaya, suggestive of interactions between migrants from the Pontic Steppe and with local populations associated with CWC/BB-related ancestry, or an unsampled steppe source emerging west of the Black Sea," researchers write in the paper.

"During the Mycenaean period in Greece (or Late Helladic period, c. 3,700–3,200 BP), Yamnaya ancestry became widespread, even extending into the Eastern Mediterranean."

In the study, the team also examined the interactions between the Eastern Mediterranean and Southern Europe, we conducted genetic sequencing of individuals from the Bronze Age and Iron Age in Cyprus and Lebanon.

The Cypriot individuals represent a notably diverse group that connects various regions of the Eastern Mediterranean.
Our results indicate that Cyprus, particularly its coastal towns, served as a genetic and cultural "melting pot" during the Bronze Age.

Individuals from the Middle and Late Bronze Age in Cyprus exhibit genetic patterns akin to those found in Lebanon and Eastern Anatolia during the same period. Notably, one early individual from Karavas (CGG 2 022531), dated to approximately 5,000–4,500 BP  showing additional ancestry linked to early Anatolian farmers.
Due to its rich copper sources, Cyprus - a genetic and cultural "melting pot" - maintained extensive trading networks with most of the Mediterranean; this situation is well mirrored by the presence of Anatolian, Levantine, Greek, and European ancestries in the Cypriot genomes.

The genetic evidence from Cyprus emphasizes its crucial role as a trade hub, linked to its rich copper resources from the Chalcolithic period through to the Iron Age. Furthermore, this evidence highlights the island's substantial connections with Western Anatolia and the Aegean. The Late Bronze Age represented a zenith in Cypriot copper mining and trade throughout the Mediterranean, cultivating a vibrant international culture. These interactions are further corroborated by genetic findings that demonstrate links between Cyprus and both Eastern and Western Mediterranean regions.

Paper
Fulya Eylem Yediay et al, Ancient genomics support deep divergence between Eastern and Western Mediterranean Indo-European languages, bioRxiv (2024). DOI:10.1101/2024.12.02.626332

Written by Conny Waters - AncientPages.com Staff Writer