The correlation between languages and genes: The usko-Mediterranean peoples

The usko-Mediterraneans peoples are defined as ancient and present day popu lations that have lived in the Mediterranean/Middle-East/Caucasus area and have spoken a Basque related language. The present day existing populations show an HLA genetic relatedness which is more or less close according to g eographical distance. The Greek sample is an outlying in all genetic analys es, because Greeks have a significant genetic input from sub-Saharan Ethiop ians and Blacks. This probably occurred in Pharaonic times. Present day com parisons between genes and languages show a lack of correlation: Macedonian , Palestinians, Kurds, part of Berbers, Armenians, and Turks belong to the old Mediterranean substratum, but they do not speak a language included in the old Mediterranean Dene-Caucasian group. This is due to an "elite"-impos ed culture and language. Other ethnic groups speak an "old Mediterranean la nguage" or "usko-Mediterranean language" modified by Roman Latin (i.e., Spa nish, Italians), or by other not fully explained processes (Jews), Therefor e, the correlation between genes and languages may exist at a macrogeograph ical level, but not when more precise microgeographical studies are done, a s shown in the present "usko-Mediterranean" peoples model, Human Immunology 62. 1051-1061 (2001). (C) American Society for Histocompatibility and Immu nogenetics, 2001. Published by Elsevier Science Inc.