"semiconsrback" <adan-pol@...> wrote:
<<Found the next article on a german website. It claims basically that more
than 3/4 of all europeans descend from basques and that their presence in
europe goes back to at least 20,000 years. these new genetic studies do not
confirm any migration into europe around 7,000 years ago. I can provide a
complete translation of the article later or somebody else could do that.>>
This news article seems to find linguistic conclusions, too, citing the
expected toponym evidence of a Basque substrate from Theo Vennemann.
Luckily, there's enough place names in Europe to supply plenty of substrates.
The mDNA evidence would create a problem in dating -- 20,000BP is a short
date. If I understand the evidence correctly, the estimate range probably
averages to 35,000BP -- once again raising the question what this has to do
with modern languages.
The translation is poor man's. I disclaim all accuracy. The original web
site in German is at
http://science.orf.at/science/news/50465.
I should also note a statement "Das Baskischen (Euskera bzw. Euskara genannt)
gehört nicht zur indogermanischen Sprachfamilie und gilt als die älteste
lebende Sprache Europas."
Here's a translation of most of the news story:
Do the Europeans descend from the Basques?
The history of the today's Europeans has roots in the Basque country
after new research results and is far older, than so far accepted. At least
three quarters of the Europeans decrease/go back therefore directly on
ancestors, who already lived in the ice age on the continent, thus before at
least 20,000 years.
Peter Forster of the Institute for Archaeological Research of the University
of Cambridge in England presents these results of the genetic studies in the
May issue of the magazine "Spektrum der Wissenschaft".
Immigrant from Asia...
So far it is assumed Vorgeschichtsfor that a majority of the today's
Europeans von Einwanderern - reaching back to the last ice age in Europe -
descend. With the agriculture and the indoeuropean languages, so the theory
goes, before approximately 7,000 years, larger groups of people came from
central Asia or the Near East, which now form the majority of the population.
... or relationship with the Basques?
The new studies show however several large genetic lines, which show a close
relationship with the Basques according to the data. The developed family
trees suggest that the spreading of these lines had their origin at the end
of the last ice age obviously in north Spain and southwest France. [Note the
last ice age ended circa 9000BC. This contradicts the other date given.]
In these investigations the researchers compared genetic mutations at parts
of the hereditary substance, which is passed on only by the mother. At least
in the female line the Basques therefore descended - like the remaining
Europeans - from the same ancestors as those from southwest Europe. [?]
So far it was assumed that the Basques were an edge people who withdrew into
the Pyrenees during the past thousands of years in the face of very powerful
new subpopulations. After the new findings however another picture results.
Mitochondrien as "proof"
The scientists examined the Mitochondrien. The interesting thing is that
during the reproduction and/or fertilization the "muetterlichen"
Mitochondrien is alone continues to give a Eizelle. Only they begin
themselves to divide into the Eizelle. Those of the father against it must
remain "outside".
In addition, exactly the 37 genes are invariably passed on, which are on the
Mitochondrien. They possess their own Genom (the in such a way specified
mtDNA). Thus here the genuine mtDNA information of the "muetterlichen" line
of humans is - unbroken over all generations away.
Language researchers support new thesis
Linguist Theo Vennemann of the University of Munich reports in the same piece
of a fitting theory, according to that there are innumerable names for
settlements, rivers or landscapes for which Basque words are used .
For example the Basque element "iz" means as much as "water, waters". It
occurs in more than 200 waters names, from the Iselfjorden in Norway up to
the Isa in Italy. Similarly also common is the element "ibar" (river). From
it, probably numerous place names deduce themselves such as Ibarolle in
France or Ebersberg in Upper Bavaria.
Basque "ur" is water; "ura", waters, the brook. "Aran" again means valley.
Thus there is the place Arendal, in England a Arundel, in Norway in Germany
for example Arnach, Arnsberg, arene castle.
The Basque language: Euskera
The area of the Basque culture and language is divided between Spain and
France. Basque (called Euskera and/or Euskara ) does not belong to the
indogermanischen language family and is considered as the oldest living
language of Europe. Euskera was spoken for many centuries, but the first
writing in large quantities originates from the 12th Century, and only in
16th Century did it develop a meager literary tradition....
"Vaskonisch" as European original language
The Romans called the as-common-as-today Basques "Vaskonen" two thousand
years ago. In support Vennemann calls Vaskonisch the language from which many
of our place names originate.
He regards this as the original European language after the ice age. It was
replaced later from Indogermanisch, but some of its elements are retained in
the indogermanischen languages. So the word ' cheese ' could be a borrowed
word from the Basque.