A recent international conference, "Albanian Among Indo-European Languages: Origins and Antiquity", brought together scholars from around the world to discuss the ancient history of the Albanian language and its unique place within the Indo-European family. While the precise age of Albanian remains uncertain, an article published last year in *Science* suggests it could be around 6,000 years old.
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Ancient Indo-European Roots
Professor Paul Heggarty, alongside 33 co-authors, estimates that Proto-Indo-European originated around 8,100 years ago, diverging into various branches around 7,000 years ago. Heggarty explains that, unlike biological life, languages do not have definitive “birthdates,” evolving continuously. However, the findings suggest that Albanian has developed distinctively from other surviving branches of Indo-European.
“The data indicates just how far Albanian has diverged from other branches of Indo-European,” said Heggarty, focusing on what this separation implies about the language’s evolution and cultural history.
Early Linguistic Contacts
Professor Olav Hackstein, director of the Institute of Comparative Linguistics and Albanology in Munich, discussed the prehistorical contact layers among early Indo-European dialects. He emphasized that recent studies reveal successive layers of contact that shaped proto-Indo-European dialects, distinguishing early Proto-Albanian from other Balkan Indo-European dialects.
“Our research sheds light on the earliest contact layers, marking significant distinctions between early Proto-Indo-European dialects,” noted Hackstein.
Connections with Ancient Greek and Armenian
Researcher Giulio Imberciadori pointed out that many scholars believe Albanian shares a closer affinity with ancient Greek and Armenian (and possibly Phrygian), thus aligning it within the so-called “Balkan Indo-European” sub-group. This connection reflects deep historical ties within the Balkans, setting Albanian apart in its unique linguistic journey.
Albanian Linguistics and Archaeology
According to Skënder Gjinushi, president of the Albanian Academy of Sciences, the conference represents another step forward for Albanology studies, following the momentum of the Second Congress of Albanological Studies held in Tirana three years ago. The two-day event will explore not only linguistic research but also archaeological and genetic findings, connecting Albania and Kosovo to broader Indo-European heritage. Notably, evidence from the third millennium BCE illustrates the beginnings of Illyrian ethnogenesis in the Western Balkans, contributing to our understanding of the region's prehistoric populations and their evolution.
This gathering of experts reinforces the depth and richness of Albanian as a unique Indo-European language and advances ongoing research into its ancient connections across the Balkans and beyond.