The origins of the Germanic languages (English, German, Dutch, and the Nordic languages) have been the subject of debate for decades among linguists. Now geneticists are getting in on the action with a surprising new study published in Nature.
An international team of researchers led by geneticists at the University of Copenhagen analyzed more than 4,500 ancient genomes (712 of which had never been sequenced before). By matching up identical portions of the genetic sequences, they uncovered a previously unknown migration pattern from a mysterious group into Scandinavia around 4,000 years ago. The timing matches up with the spread of Germanic languages, as well as cultural practices like burial rites, architecture, runic carvings, and pottery crafting.
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“DNA sequences don’t tell us directly which language people spoke. But by combining ancient DNA with linguistic and archaeological evidence, we can begin to trace how languages spread and changed over thousands of years,” study author Eske Willerslev of the University of Copenhagen explained in a statement.
Previous theories posited that the root Germanic language was brought by migrants from the Steppes around 5,000 years ago, but this new evidence suggests the influx came a millennium earlier. Surprisingly, the cryptic group—which the authors call “Eastern Scandinavian”—seems to have originated from the Baltic states and the researchers estimate it took around 500 years for their genes to spread throughout the population.
“For over a century, scholars have debated when and from where the Germanic languages arrived in Northern Europe. What is exciting is that we can now test some of these ideas directly,” study author Hugh McColl of the University of Copenhagen said. “We discovered a previously unknown migration that occurred at exactly the time and place where we would expect the earliest form of Germanic to be spreading.”
And it’s not the only surprising migration they discovered. Their analysis also revealed a group of northern Germans migrated to Denmark and southern Sweden around 1,500 years ago. According to the team, this migration corresponds with the rise of Old Norse, the language spoken by the Vikings. In fact, it could explain some similarities between Viking and Anglo Saxon culture.
“This migration came as a real surprise,” McColl said. “Archaeologists and linguists hadn’t predicted it, but it helps explain several cultural and linguistic connections between Scandinavia and Britain that have puzzled researchers for a long time.”
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Lead Image: Nicolas Delgado Clausen
