Ancient DNA cracks puzzle of Basque origins
Scientists say Basque descend from early farmers who mixed with local hunters before becoming isolated for millennia
London: Scientists seem to have solved the puzzle of one of Europe’s most enigmatic people: the Basques, suggesting they descend from early farmers who mixed with local hunters before becoming isolated for millennia.
The distinct language and genetic make-up of the Basque people in northern Spain and southern France has puzzled anthropologists for decades.
While one theory said that these were an unmixed pocket of indigenous hunters, a new study suggests that they descend from early farmers who mixed with local hunters before becoming isolated for millennia.
The Basques have unique customs, distinct language, Euskera that is unrelated to any other spoken in Europe.
An analysis of the genomes of the eight Stone Age human skeletons from El Portalon in Atapuerca, northern Spain conducted by Mattias Jakobsson from Uppsala University in Sweden shows that the early Iberian farmers are the closest ancestors to present-day Basques.
Further comparisons with other ancient European farmers show that agriculture was brought to Iberia by same migrant groups that introduced it to central and northern Europe, Prensa Latina news agency reported.
The individuals lived between 3,500 and 5,500 years ago, after the transition to farming in southwest Europe, researchers said. The pioneers swept across Europe from their homeland in the Near East about 7,000 years ago to usher in a period known as neolithic.
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First Published:9 Sep 2015, 07:35 PM IST
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