In the new study, researchers at Vienna University analysed DNA samples of 435 people from archaeological sites across Eurasia dating to between 6400BC and 2000BC and found that a newly recognised ancient population inhabiting the steppe grasslands of the Caucasus and the Lower Volga was connected to all modern populations speaking Indo-European languages.
Indo-European languages spoken by nearly half of the world today originated from an ancient population that lived in the North Caucasus mountains and the Lower Volga, according to a new DNA study.
DNA study cracks centuries-old mystery over origin of languages spoken by half the world Indo-European languages traced to population living in steppe grasslands 6,500 years ago.
The new study traced this language group to an ancient population that lived in the steppes between the North Caucasus mountains and the Lower Volga between 4500BC and 3500BC.
The DNA analysis revealed that the Yamnaya people derived about 80 per cent of their ancestry from the population group, which was also linked to a tenth of the ancestry of Bronze Age central Anatolian speakers of Hittite.
