Steppe Ancestry in western Eurasia and the spread of the Germanic Languages

Hugh McColl; Guus Kroonen; J. Víctor Moreno-Mayar; Frederik Valeur Seersholm; Gabriele Scorrano; Thomaz Pinotti; Tharsika Vimala; Søren M. Sindbæk; Per Ethelberg; Ralph Fyfe; Marie-José Gaillard; Hanne M. Ellegård Larsen; Morten Fischer Mortensen; Fabrice Demeter; Marie Louise S. Jørkov; Sophie Bergerbrant; Peter de Barros Damgaard; Morten E. Allentoft; Lasse Vinner; Charleen Gaunitz; Abigail Ramsøe; Isin Altinkaya; Rasmus Amund Henriksen; Evan K. Irving-Pease; Serena Sabatini; Anders Fischer; William Barrie; Andrés Ingason; Anders Rosengren; Andrew Vaughn; Jialu Cao; Jacqueline Staring; Jesper Stenderup; Fulya Eylem Yediay; Torbjörn Ahlström; Sofie Laurine Albris; Biyaslan Atabiev; Pernille Bangsgaard; Maria Giovanna Belcastro; Nick Card; Philippe Charlier; Elizaveta Chernykh; Torben Trier Christiansen; Alfredo Coppa; Maura De Coster; Sean Dexter Denham; Sophie Desenne; Jane Downes; Karin Margarita Frei; Olivér Gábor; Johan Zakarias Gårdsvoll; Zanette Tsigaridas Glørstad; Jesper Hansen; Stijn Heeren; Merete Henriksen; Volker Heyd; Mette Høj; Mads Kähler Holst; Rimantas Jankauskas; Henrik Janson; Mads Dengsø Jessen; Jens Winther Johannsen; Torkel Johansen; Ole Thirup Kastholm; Anton Kern; Ruslan Khaskhanov; Katrine Kjær; Vladimir Kolosov; Lisette M. Kootker; Anne Christine Larsen; Thierry Lejars; Mette Løvschal; Niels Lynnerup; Yvonne Magnusson; Kristiina Mannermaa; Vyacheslav Masyakin; Anne Lene Melheim; Inga Merkyte; Vyacheslav Moiseyev; Stig Bergmann Møller; Erika Molnár; Nadja Mortensen; Eileen Murphy; Bjarne Henning Nielsen; Doris Pany-Kucera; Bettina Schulz Paulsson; Marcia S Ponce de León; Håkon Reiersen; Walter Reinhard; Antti Sajantila; Birgitte Skar; Vladimir Slavchev; Václav Smrčka; Lasse Sørensen; Georg Tiefengraber; Otto Christian Uldum; Jorge Vega; Daniele Vitali; Alexey Voloshinov; Sidsel Wåhlin; Holger Wendling; Anna Wessman; Helene Wilhelmson; Karin Wiltschke; João Zilhao; Christoph PE Zollikofer; Thorfinn Sand Korneliussen; Bruno Chaume; Jean-Paul Demoule; Thomas Werge; Line Olsen; Rasmus Nielsen; Lotte Hedeager; Kristian Kristiansen; Martin Sikora; Eske Willerslev

doi:10.1101/2024.03.13.584607

Steppe Ancestry in western Eurasia and the spread of the Germanic Languages

Hugh McColl, Guus Kroonen, J. Víctor Moreno-Mayar, Frederik Valeur Seersholm, Gabriele Scorrano, Thomaz Pinotti, Tharsika Vimala, Søren M. Sindbæk, Per Ethelberg, Ralph Fyfe, Marie-José Gaillard, Hanne M. Ellegård Larsen, Morten Fischer Mortensen, Fabrice Demeter, Marie Louise S. Jørkov, Sophie Bergerbrant, Peter de Barros Damgaard, Morten E. Allentoft, Lasse Vinner, Charleen GaunitzAbigail Ramsøe, Isin Altinkaya, Rasmus Amund Henriksen, Evan K. Irving-Pease, Serena Sabatini, Anders Fischer, William Barrie, Andrés Ingason, Anders Rosengren, Andrew Vaughn, Jialu Cao, Jacqueline Staring, Jesper Stenderup, Fulya Eylem Yediay, Torbjörn Ahlström, Sofie Laurine Albris, Biyaslan Atabiev, Pernille Bangsgaard, Maria Giovanna Belcastro, Nick Card, Philippe Charlier, Elizaveta Chernykh, Torben Trier Christiansen, Alfredo Coppa, Maura De Coster, Sean Dexter Denham, Sophie Desenne, Jane Downes, Karin Margarita Frei, Olivér Gábor, Johan Zakarias Gårdsvoll, Zanette Tsigaridas Glørstad, Jesper Hansen, Stijn Heeren, Merete Henriksen, Volker Heyd, Mette Høj, Mads Kähler Holst, Rimantas Jankauskas, Henrik Janson, Mads Dengsø Jessen, Jens Winther Johannsen, Torkel Johansen, Ole Thirup Kastholm, Anton Kern, Ruslan Khaskhanov, Katrine Kjær, Vladimir Kolosov, Lisette M. Kootker, Anne Christine Larsen, Thierry Lejars, Mette Løvschal, Niels Lynnerup, Yvonne Magnusson, Kristiina Mannermaa, Vyacheslav Masyakin, Anne Lene Melheim, Inga Merkyte, Vyacheslav Moiseyev, Stig Bergmann Møller, Erika Molnár, Nadja Mortensen, Eileen Murphy, Bjarne Henning Nielsen, Doris Pany-Kucera, Bettina Schulz Paulsson, Marcia S Ponce de León, Håkon Reiersen, Walter Reinhard, Antti Sajantila, Birgitte Skar, Vladimir Slavchev, Václav Smrčka, Lasse Sørensen, Georg Tiefengraber, Otto Christian Uldum, Jorge Vega, Daniele Vitali, Alexey Voloshinov, Sidsel Wåhlin, Holger Wendling, Anna Wessman, Helene Wilhelmson, Karin Wiltschke, João Zilhao, Christoph PE Zollikofer, Thorfinn Sand Korneliussen, Bruno Chaume, Jean-Paul Demoule, Thomas Werge, Line Olsen, Rasmus Nielsen, Lotte Hedeager, Kristian Kristiansen, Martin Sikora, Eske Willerslev

Research output: Working paper › Preprint

Abstract

Today, Germanic languages, including German, English, Frisian, Dutch and the Nordic languages, are widely spoken in northwest Europe. However, key aspects of the assumed arrival and diversification of this linguistic group remain contentious1–3. By adding 712 new ancient human genomes we find an archaeologically elusive population entering Sweden from the Baltic region by around 4000 BP. This population became widespread throughout Scandinavia by 3500 BP, matching the contemporaneous distribution of Palaeo-Germanic, the Bronze Age predecessor of Proto-Germanic4–6. These Baltic immigrants thus offer a new potential vector for the first Germanic speakers to arrive in Scandinavia, some 800 years later than traditionally assumed7–12. Following the disintegration of Proto-Germanic13–16, we find by 1650 BP a southward push from Southern Scandinavia into presumed Celtic-speaking areas, including Germany, Poland and the Netherlands. During the Migration Period (1575–1375 BP), we see this ancestry representing West Germanic Anglo-Saxons in Britain, and Langobards in southern Europe. We find a related large-scale northward migration into Denmark and South Sweden corresponding with historically attested Danes and the expansion of Old Norse. These movements have direct implications for multiple linguistic hypotheses. Our findings show the power of combining genomics with historical linguistics and archaeology in creating a unified, integrated model for the emergence, spread and diversification of a linguistic group.

Original language	English
Publisher	Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
Number of pages	66
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.03.13.584607
Publication status	Published - 14 Mar 2024

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10.1101/2024.03.13.584607Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

Steppe Ancestry in Western EurasiaSubmitted manuscript, 12.6 MBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

Cite this

McColl, H., Kroonen, G., Moreno-Mayar, J. V., Valeur Seersholm, F., Scorrano, G., Pinotti, T., Vimala, T., Sindbæk, S. M., Ethelberg, P., Fyfe, R., Gaillard, M.-J., Larsen, H. M. E., Mortensen, M. F., Demeter, F., Jørkov, M. L. S., Bergerbrant, S., Damgaard, P. D. B., Allentoft, M. E., Vinner, L., ... Willerslev, E. (2024). Steppe Ancestry in western Eurasia and the spread of the Germanic Languages. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.03.13.584607

@misc{3e301dcac6174d5183296a00d9256a6f,

title = "Steppe Ancestry in western Eurasia and the spread of the Germanic Languages",

abstract = "Today, Germanic languages, including German, English, Frisian, Dutch and the Nordic languages, are widely spoken in northwest Europe. However, key aspects of the assumed arrival and diversification of this linguistic group remain contentious1–3. By adding 712 new ancient human genomes we find an archaeologically elusive population entering Sweden from the Baltic region by around 4000 BP. This population became widespread throughout Scandinavia by 3500 BP, matching the contemporaneous distribution of Palaeo-Germanic, the Bronze Age predecessor of Proto-Germanic4–6. These Baltic immigrants thus offer a new potential vector for the first Germanic speakers to arrive in Scandinavia, some 800 years later than traditionally assumed7–12. Following the disintegration of Proto-Germanic13–16, we find by 1650 BP a southward push from Southern Scandinavia into presumed Celtic-speaking areas, including Germany, Poland and the Netherlands. During the Migration Period (1575–1375 BP), we see this ancestry representing West Germanic Anglo-Saxons in Britain, and Langobards in southern Europe. We find a related large-scale northward migration into Denmark and South Sweden corresponding with historically attested Danes and the expansion of Old Norse. These movements have direct implications for multiple linguistic hypotheses. Our findings show the power of combining genomics with historical linguistics and archaeology in creating a unified, integrated model for the emergence, spread and diversification of a linguistic group.",

author = "Hugh McColl and Guus Kroonen and Moreno-Mayar, {J. V{\'i}ctor} and {Valeur Seersholm}, Frederik and Gabriele Scorrano and Thomaz Pinotti and Tharsika Vimala and Sindb{\ae}k, {S{\o}ren M.} and Per Ethelberg and Ralph Fyfe and Marie-Jos{\'e} Gaillard and Larsen, {Hanne M. Elleg{\aa}rd} and Mortensen, {Morten Fischer} and Fabrice Demeter and J{\o}rkov, {Marie Louise S.} and Sophie Bergerbrant and Damgaard, {Peter de Barros} and Allentoft, {Morten E.} and Lasse Vinner and Charleen Gaunitz and Abigail Rams{\o}e and Isin Altinkaya and {Amund Henriksen}, Rasmus and Irving-Pease, {Evan K.} and Serena Sabatini and Anders Fischer and William Barrie and Andr{\'e}s Ingason and Anders Rosengren and Andrew Vaughn and Jialu Cao and Jacqueline Staring and Jesper Stenderup and Yediay, {Fulya Eylem} and Torbj{\"o}rn Ahlstr{\"o}m and Albris, {Sofie Laurine} and Biyaslan Atabiev and Pernille Bangsgaard and Belcastro, {Maria Giovanna} and Nick Card and Philippe Charlier and Elizaveta Chernykh and Christiansen, {Torben Trier} and Alfredo Coppa and {De Coster}, Maura and Denham, {Sean Dexter} and Sophie Desenne and Jane Downes and Frei, {Karin Margarita} and Oliv{\'e}r G{\'a}bor and G{\aa}rdsvoll, {Johan Zakarias} and Gl{\o}rstad, {Zanette Tsigaridas} and Jesper Hansen and Stijn Heeren and Merete Henriksen and Volker Heyd and Mette H{\o}j and Holst, {Mads K{\"a}hler} and Rimantas Jankauskas and Henrik Janson and Jessen, {Mads Dengs{\o}} and Johannsen, {Jens Winther} and Torkel Johansen and Kastholm, {Ole Thirup} and Anton Kern and Ruslan Khaskhanov and Katrine Kj{\ae}r and Vladimir Kolosov and Kootker, {Lisette M.} and Larsen, {Anne Christine} and Thierry Lejars and Mette L{\o}vschal and Niels Lynnerup and Yvonne Magnusson and Kristiina Mannermaa and Vyacheslav Masyakin and Melheim, {Anne Lene} and Inga Merkyte and Vyacheslav Moiseyev and M{\o}ller, {Stig Bergmann} and Erika Moln{\'a}r and Nadja Mortensen and Eileen Murphy and Nielsen, {Bjarne Henning} and Doris Pany-Kucera and Paulsson, {Bettina Schulz} and {Ponce de Le{\'o}n}, {Marcia S} and H{\aa}kon Reiersen and Walter Reinhard and Antti Sajantila and Birgitte Skar and Vladimir Slavchev and V{\'a}clav Smr{\v c}ka and Lasse S{\o}rensen and Georg Tiefengraber and Uldum, {Otto Christian} and Jorge Vega and Daniele Vitali and Alexey Voloshinov and Sidsel W{\aa}hlin and Holger Wendling and Anna Wessman and Helene Wilhelmson and Karin Wiltschke and Jo{\~a}o Zilhao and Zollikofer, {Christoph PE} and {Sand Korneliussen}, Thorfinn and Bruno Chaume and Jean-Paul Demoule and Thomas Werge and Line Olsen and Rasmus Nielsen and Lotte Hedeager and Kristian Kristiansen and Martin Sikora and Eske Willerslev",

year = "2024",

month = mar,

day = "14",

doi = "10.1101/2024.03.13.584607",

language = "English",

publisher = "Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press",

address = "United States",

type = "WorkingPaper",

institution = "Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press",

}

McColl, H, Kroonen, G, Moreno-Mayar, JV, Valeur Seersholm, F, Scorrano, G, Pinotti, T, Vimala, T, Sindbæk, SM, Ethelberg, P, Fyfe, R, Gaillard, M-J, Larsen, HME , Mortensen, MF, Demeter, F, Jørkov, MLS, Bergerbrant, S, Damgaard, PDB, Allentoft, ME, Vinner, L, Gaunitz, C, Ramsøe, A, Altinkaya, I, Amund Henriksen, R, Irving-Pease, EK, Sabatini, S, Fischer, A, Barrie, W, Ingason, A, Rosengren, A, Vaughn, A, Cao, J, Staring, J, Stenderup, J, Yediay, FE, Ahlström, T, Albris, SL, Atabiev, B, Bangsgaard, P, Belcastro, MG, Card, N, Charlier, P, Chernykh, E, Christiansen, TT, Coppa, A, De Coster, M, Denham, SD, Desenne, S, Downes, J, Frei, KM, Gábor, O, Gårdsvoll, JZ, Glørstad, ZT, Hansen, J, Heeren, S, Henriksen, M, Heyd, V, Høj, M, Holst, MK, Jankauskas, R, Janson, H, Jessen, MD , Johannsen, JW, Johansen, T, Kastholm, OT, Kern, A, Khaskhanov, R, Kjær, K, Kolosov, V, Kootker, LM, Larsen, AC, Lejars, T, Løvschal, M, Lynnerup, N, Magnusson, Y, Mannermaa, K, Masyakin, V, Melheim, AL, Merkyte, I, Moiseyev, V, Møller, SB, Molnár, E, Mortensen, N, Murphy, E, Nielsen, BH, Pany-Kucera, D, Paulsson, BS, Ponce de León, MS, Reiersen, H, Reinhard, W, Sajantila, A, Skar, B, Slavchev, V, Smrčka, V, Sørensen, L, Tiefengraber, G, Uldum, OC, Vega, J, Vitali, D, Voloshinov, A, Wåhlin, S, Wendling, H, Wessman, A, Wilhelmson, H, Wiltschke, K, Zilhao, J, Zollikofer, CPE, Sand Korneliussen, T, Chaume, B, Demoule, J-P, Werge, T, Olsen, L, Nielsen, R, Hedeager, L, Kristiansen, K, Sikora, M & Willerslev, E 2024 'Steppe Ancestry in western Eurasia and the spread of the Germanic Languages' Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.03.13.584607

TY - UNPB

T1 - Steppe Ancestry in western Eurasia and the spread of the Germanic Languages

AU - McColl, Hugh

AU - Kroonen, Guus

AU - Moreno-Mayar, J. Víctor

AU - Valeur Seersholm, Frederik

AU - Scorrano, Gabriele

AU - Pinotti, Thomaz

AU - Vimala, Tharsika

AU - Sindbæk, Søren M.

AU - Ethelberg, Per

AU - Fyfe, Ralph

AU - Gaillard, Marie-José

AU - Larsen, Hanne M. Ellegård

AU - Mortensen, Morten Fischer

AU - Demeter, Fabrice

AU - Jørkov, Marie Louise S.

AU - Bergerbrant, Sophie

AU - Damgaard, Peter de Barros

AU - Allentoft, Morten E.

AU - Vinner, Lasse

AU - Gaunitz, Charleen

AU - Ramsøe, Abigail

AU - Altinkaya, Isin

AU - Amund Henriksen, Rasmus

AU - Irving-Pease, Evan K.

AU - Sabatini, Serena

AU - Fischer, Anders

AU - Barrie, William

AU - Ingason, Andrés

AU - Rosengren, Anders

AU - Vaughn, Andrew

AU - Cao, Jialu

AU - Staring, Jacqueline

AU - Stenderup, Jesper

AU - Yediay, Fulya Eylem

AU - Ahlström, Torbjörn

AU - Albris, Sofie Laurine

AU - Atabiev, Biyaslan

AU - Bangsgaard, Pernille

AU - Belcastro, Maria Giovanna

AU - Card, Nick

AU - Charlier, Philippe

AU - Chernykh, Elizaveta

AU - Christiansen, Torben Trier

AU - Coppa, Alfredo

AU - De Coster, Maura

AU - Denham, Sean Dexter

AU - Desenne, Sophie

AU - Downes, Jane

AU - Frei, Karin Margarita

AU - Gábor, Olivér

AU - Gårdsvoll, Johan Zakarias

AU - Glørstad, Zanette Tsigaridas

AU - Hansen, Jesper

AU - Heeren, Stijn

AU - Henriksen, Merete

AU - Heyd, Volker

AU - Høj, Mette

AU - Holst, Mads Kähler

AU - Jankauskas, Rimantas

AU - Janson, Henrik

AU - Jessen, Mads Dengsø

AU - Johannsen, Jens Winther

AU - Johansen, Torkel

AU - Kastholm, Ole Thirup

AU - Kern, Anton

AU - Khaskhanov, Ruslan

AU - Kjær, Katrine

AU - Kolosov, Vladimir

AU - Kootker, Lisette M.

AU - Larsen, Anne Christine

AU - Lejars, Thierry

AU - Løvschal, Mette

AU - Lynnerup, Niels

AU - Magnusson, Yvonne

AU - Mannermaa, Kristiina

AU - Masyakin, Vyacheslav

AU - Melheim, Anne Lene

AU - Merkyte, Inga

AU - Moiseyev, Vyacheslav

AU - Møller, Stig Bergmann

AU - Molnár, Erika

AU - Mortensen, Nadja

AU - Murphy, Eileen

AU - Nielsen, Bjarne Henning

AU - Pany-Kucera, Doris

AU - Paulsson, Bettina Schulz

AU - Ponce de León, Marcia S

AU - Reiersen, Håkon

AU - Reinhard, Walter

AU - Sajantila, Antti

AU - Skar, Birgitte

AU - Slavchev, Vladimir

AU - Smrčka, Václav

AU - Sørensen, Lasse

AU - Tiefengraber, Georg

AU - Uldum, Otto Christian

AU - Vega, Jorge

AU - Vitali, Daniele

AU - Voloshinov, Alexey

AU - Wåhlin, Sidsel

AU - Wendling, Holger

AU - Wessman, Anna

AU - Wilhelmson, Helene

AU - Wiltschke, Karin

AU - Zilhao, João

AU - Zollikofer, Christoph PE

AU - Sand Korneliussen, Thorfinn

AU - Chaume, Bruno

AU - Demoule, Jean-Paul

AU - Werge, Thomas

AU - Olsen, Line

AU - Nielsen, Rasmus

AU - Hedeager, Lotte

AU - Kristiansen, Kristian

AU - Sikora, Martin

AU - Willerslev, Eske

PY - 2024/3/14

Y1 - 2024/3/14

N2 - Today, Germanic languages, including German, English, Frisian, Dutch and the Nordic languages, are widely spoken in northwest Europe. However, key aspects of the assumed arrival and diversification of this linguistic group remain contentious1–3. By adding 712 new ancient human genomes we find an archaeologically elusive population entering Sweden from the Baltic region by around 4000 BP. This population became widespread throughout Scandinavia by 3500 BP, matching the contemporaneous distribution of Palaeo-Germanic, the Bronze Age predecessor of Proto-Germanic4–6. These Baltic immigrants thus offer a new potential vector for the first Germanic speakers to arrive in Scandinavia, some 800 years later than traditionally assumed7–12. Following the disintegration of Proto-Germanic13–16, we find by 1650 BP a southward push from Southern Scandinavia into presumed Celtic-speaking areas, including Germany, Poland and the Netherlands. During the Migration Period (1575–1375 BP), we see this ancestry representing West Germanic Anglo-Saxons in Britain, and Langobards in southern Europe. We find a related large-scale northward migration into Denmark and South Sweden corresponding with historically attested Danes and the expansion of Old Norse. These movements have direct implications for multiple linguistic hypotheses. Our findings show the power of combining genomics with historical linguistics and archaeology in creating a unified, integrated model for the emergence, spread and diversification of a linguistic group.

AB - Today, Germanic languages, including German, English, Frisian, Dutch and the Nordic languages, are widely spoken in northwest Europe. However, key aspects of the assumed arrival and diversification of this linguistic group remain contentious1–3. By adding 712 new ancient human genomes we find an archaeologically elusive population entering Sweden from the Baltic region by around 4000 BP. This population became widespread throughout Scandinavia by 3500 BP, matching the contemporaneous distribution of Palaeo-Germanic, the Bronze Age predecessor of Proto-Germanic4–6. These Baltic immigrants thus offer a new potential vector for the first Germanic speakers to arrive in Scandinavia, some 800 years later than traditionally assumed7–12. Following the disintegration of Proto-Germanic13–16, we find by 1650 BP a southward push from Southern Scandinavia into presumed Celtic-speaking areas, including Germany, Poland and the Netherlands. During the Migration Period (1575–1375 BP), we see this ancestry representing West Germanic Anglo-Saxons in Britain, and Langobards in southern Europe. We find a related large-scale northward migration into Denmark and South Sweden corresponding with historically attested Danes and the expansion of Old Norse. These movements have direct implications for multiple linguistic hypotheses. Our findings show the power of combining genomics with historical linguistics and archaeology in creating a unified, integrated model for the emergence, spread and diversification of a linguistic group.

U2 - 10.1101/2024.03.13.584607

DO - 10.1101/2024.03.13.584607

M3 - Preprint

BT - Steppe Ancestry in western Eurasia and the spread of the Germanic Languages

PB - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press

ER -