New insights from genetics and linguistics: An international team of linguists and geneticists led by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig propose a fresh hybrid hypothesis for the origin of Indo-European languages. They suggest that the ultimate homeland was located south of the Caucasus, with a subsequent northward branch emerging towards the Steppe. This secondary homeland served as the entry point to Europe for certain Indo-European branches during the later Yamnaya and Corded Ware-associated expansions. Notably, ancient DNA and language phylogenetics together point towards a resolution for the Indo-European enigma, which has puzzled scholars for two centuries. According to Gray, this amalgamation of ideas combines the farming and Steppe hypotheses.

“Recent ancient DNA data suggest that the Anatolian branch of Indo-European did not emerge from the Steppe, but from further south, in or near the northern arc of the Fertile Crescent — as the earliest source of the Indo-European family. Our language family tree topology, and our lineage split dates, point to other early branches that may also have spread directly from there, not through the Steppe.” says Paul Heggarty – Read More.

Northern arc of the Fertile Crescent has been proto and present day Kurdish homeland since antiquity related to Hurro-Mitanni and starting from Carduchians, Medes, Parthians and after spread of Islam; Kurdish presence continued with Rawadids, Shaddadis, Marwanids, Ayyubids and many other Kurdish principalities or controlled regions existed till today.