Genetic Evidence Helps Reveal Origins and Spread of Celtic Languages

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK—Today, Celtic languages such as Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, and Breton survive on the western fringes of Europe, but they were once spoken across a wide swath of the continent from Iberia to Anatolia. However, experts have longed wondered where the Celtic tongue originated and how it spread. La Brújula Verde reports that recent genetic research has provided some new clues. Traditionally, three main theories have been proposed for the diffusion of Celtic languages. One theorizes that they spread along the Atlantic coast with the so-called Bell Beaker culture in the late Bronze Age. Another postulates that they originated in Iberia, France, or northern Italy. And a third, which is supported by new evidence, suggests that they originated in central Europe and spread from there in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age. The study utilized genetic data from more than 750 ancient burials from France, Germany, Austria, and the British Isles to trace population movements. Experts concluded that the Celtic language should be closely associated with the Urnfield culture of Central Europe and its dissemination is likely associated with migrations of Urnfield and Hallstatt peoples westward between 3,200 and 2,800 years ago. Read the original scholarly article about this research in bioRxiv. To read about a group that is thought to have descended from Iron Age Celtic tribes, go to "Letter from Scotland: Land of the Picts."