Gypsies migrated from India to Europe 1,500 yrs ago
Genetic scientists have found that the Romani population first arrived through the Balkans and began dispersing outwards from there 900 years ago, the `Daily Mail` reported.
|Last Updated: Dec 09, 2012, 04:35 PM IST|Source: Bureau
London: Europe`s largest minority group - the Romani - with approximately 11 million people began their migration from northern India to Europe 1,500 years ago, much earlier than previously thought, according to a new research.
The Romani were known as "gypsies" in the 16th century because they were originally thought to have come from Egypt.
Genetic scientists have found that the Romani population first arrived through the Balkans and began dispersing outwards from there 900 years ago, the `Daily Mail` reported.
They first arrived in the UK in 1513, the research team believes.
"We were interested in exploring the population history of European Romani because they constitute an important fraction of the European population, but their marginalised situation in many countries also seems to have affected their visibility in scientific studies," Professor David Comas, of the Institut de Biologia Evolutiva at Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Spain, said.
Early European references describe wandering, nomadic communities who were known for their music and skill with horses, they also suffered centuries of discrimination, including extermination by some 20th-century fascist regimes including Hitler and Stalin.
The Romani people lack written historical records on their origins and dispersal so the team gathered genome-wide data from 13 Romani groups collected across Europe to confirm an Indian origin for European Romani, consistent with earlier linguistic studies.
The study in journal Current Biology offers the first genome-wide perspective on Romani origins and demographic history.
The authors claim that their findings could have implications for various disciplines including human evolution and health sciences.
"From a genome-wide perspective, Romani people share a common and unique history that consists of two elements - the roots in northwestern India and the admixture with non-Romani Europeans accumulating with different magnitudes during the out-of-India migration across Europe," co-author Professor Manfred Kayser from Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands said.
"I think Roma has been discriminated against in Europe almost since their arrival and they continue to suffer discrimination and structural poverty throughout Europe today," said Robert Kushner, chairman of the board of the European Roma Rights Centre in Hungary.
"In some countries Roma will compromise 25 per cent of the work force in the near future so for a whole number of reasons - economic, moral, and for legal obligations to human rights - the discrimination should be addressed," Kushner added.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.