New: A genetic study published in Nature Human Behavior reveals that today's Albanians are mainly descended from a population that preserves the ancient origin of the Western Balkans.
Published on May 4, the study analyzed more than 6,000 ancient genomes and 74 newly recorded modern Albanian genomes. Scholars have identified a continuity of origin from the Western Balkans of the late Bronze and Iron Ages to early medieval Albania.
Around 800-900 AD, this population already had a genetic profile derived from many modern Albanians. The study also identified an admixture associated with medieval Eastern Europe averaging about 10-20%, with geographic variation.
The findings provide evidence regarding the history of the population and help to investigate the origins of the Albanian language.
The Nature of Human Behavior: An Original Study.
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