Ancient DNA Pinpoints Origins of Indo-European Language Family

Researchers identify the Caucasus-Lower Volga population as the source of Proto-Indo-European, resolving a centuries-old mystery.

A new DNA study analyzed 435 ancient individuals, uncovering the Caucasus-Lower Volga (CLV) population as the origin of Proto-Indo-European languages.
The CLV population, dating back to 4500–3500 BCE, lived in the steppes between the North Caucasus Mountains and the lower Volga River.
The Yamnaya culture, which spread Indo-European languages across Eurasia, derived 80% of its ancestry from the CLV group.
The study resolves the Anatolian language conundrum, linking the Hittite language to CLV ancestry rather than Yamnaya migrations.
This discovery marks a significant milestone in understanding how Indo-European languages spread to nearly half the world's population.