Re:Hand of Irulegi: ancient artefact could help trace origin...
by Ebree on Sunday November 20, 2022 @05:49AM
(#33679929)
Basques have original language but not male line. It's R1b is IE steppe genes. The most probable source of Basque culture is from local native Iberian refugium. As well as Albanian/Illyrian in Balcan refugium. Basques are teared between claiming oldest native euroculture & negating IE conquest that drastically changed genetics & culture of Europe. What's understandable since their story seems unique & conflicted (adding rH- story) like Hungarian.
Similar story for the Etruscans, in fact. High rate of R1b and associated haplotypes.
It seems likely to me that these populations were co-travelers with Indo-European speakers during the copper age. Following the same leads on metal and other resource deposits, and migrating along similar routes. I suspect if it was ever possible to find a "homeland" for these linguistic routes it would be along the Black Sea or Carpathians, next-door to the origins of the Yamnaya culture.
Maybe the Basques/Euskadia/Vascones are the descendants of the Cucuteni-Trypillia culture, an ancient agrarian population that the Indo-Europeans passed through and blended with (and maybe conquered) on their way west.