Armenpress.am
Scientists refute Herodotus' hypothesis on the Balkan origin of Armenians
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. Scientists have refuted the hypothesis proposed by the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, which suggested that the ancestors of Armenians originated from the Balkans.
An article published in the American Journal of Human Genetics explains that geneticists analyzed the DNA of 57 Armenians to study the demographic history of their population. Their findings confirm that people genetically close to modern Armenians inhabited the Caucasus region as far back as the Bronze Age. The study highlights that Armenian history has long fascinated researchers due to their unique cultural features, including the Apostolic Church, their alphabet, and a language that forms a distinct branch of the Indo-European family.
“Thanks to the reports of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, a hypothesis emerged suggesting that the ancestors of the Armenians migrated to the Caucasus from the Balkans, particularly from Thrace. This hypothesis was later supported by some linguists. However, modern evidence indicates that a genetically similar population inhabited this region at least as early as the Bronze Age. Furthermore, it appears that a significant portion of the ancestors of modern Armenians lived in the Armenian Highlands as far back as the Neolithic era,” the article states.
Dr. Anahit Hovhannisyan, a Marie Curie Fellow at Trinity College Dublin’s School of Genetics and Microbiology, together with partners from scientific organizations in nine countries, presented the results of their study on the demographic history of Armenians. According to their findings, scientists analyzed the complete genomes of 34 individuals whose ancestors identified as Armenian for at least four generations. Additionally, the researchers expanded the study to include 23 more individuals with full genome data and incorporated previously published data on ancient and modern genomes.
The study of these genomes confirmed that Herodotus was incorrect in claiming that the ancestors of Armenians migrated from the Balkan Peninsula. Modern Armenians represent a relatively homogeneous population.
"Genetic evidence also confirmed that some ancestors of modern Armenians lived in the Caucasus as early as the Neolithic era," it reads.
Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1205979?fbclid=IwY2xjawGzlVlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHVA80t1WvcckNbyisPzZvJT4MEclT1BbLzQzZYYe_ZW22ysfQIYHBZM4jA_aem_6ISe4gDqYHx5lXrB2uyKXw