by Δημόπουλος Μάριος
As a Greek linguist and ethnologist, specialist in the origin of the Greeks and Albanians, to put an end to certain creative reinterpretations of history circulating online:
Some people claim that Albanians supposedly came from the Caucasus, or that Slavs were in the Balkans before Albanians. These theories are unscientific. Let’s see what modern genetics actually says.
In 2023, a large international research team of Greek and foreign geneticists and historians (with only one Albanian geneticist among them — so no “national propaganda” accusations this time!) published a major ancient-DNA study on Albanian origins. The results were very clear:
Modern Albanians show strong genetic continuity with ancient Western Balkan populations of the Bronze and Iron Age — precisely the populations historically associated with the Illyrians.
Slavic-related admixture exists, but at moderate levels (around 10–20%) and arrived later.
In other words, a deep, continuous Balkan presence long before Slavic settlement.
So when people question Albanian autochthony in the Balkans… one might politely ask:
Who exactly is making these claims? People like Pontiacs, whose families arrived in Greece from Anatolia just a century ago? Let’s all relax a bit.
Greeks and Albanians have been in the Balkans for thousands of years.
Others (Serbs, Bulgarians) arrived later.
History is complicated — but DNA doesn’t care about internet nationalism.
Study link:
https://www.biorxiv.org/…/10.1101/2023.06.05.543790v2.full
Summary of the study according to google AI:
The 2023 bioRxiv preprint, Ancient DNA reveals the origins of the Albanians,” by Davranoglou et al., found that modern Albanians descend primarily from Late Bronze Age and Iron Age Western Balkan populations, showing remarkable genetic continuity with ancient Illyrians, with later admixture from Slavic-related groups, challenging older theories and linking them to the region’s indigenous people before Slavic settlement. The study analyzed ancient genomes and present-day Albanians, confirming their strong roots in the central-western Balkans and highlighting unique genetic patterns distinct from neighboring groups. Key Findings of the Study:
– Illyrian Connection: The study provides strong genetic evidence linking modern Albanians to ancient Balkan populations, including those identified as Illyrians, a link long debated by historians.
– Genetic Continuity: Present-day Albanians largely descend from Early Medieval inhabitants of Albania, showing uninterrupted ancestry from Roman-era and Iron Age Western Balkans.
– Slavic Admixture: Albanians show geographically structured, moderate admixture (around 10-20%) from East European (Slavic-related) groups, but this was not enough to replace their core ancient Balkan ancestry.
– Paternal Lineage: Albanian paternal ancestry shows particularly strong continuity from Bronze Age Balkan populations.
