Abstract
The Tungusic languages form a language family spoken in Xinjiang, Siberia, Manchuria and the Russian Far East. There is a general consensus that these languages are genealogically related and descend from a common ancestral language, conventionally called 'Proto-Tungusic'. However, the exact geographical location where the ancestral speakers of Proto-Tungusic originated from is subject to debate. Here we take an unprecedented approach to this problem, by integrating linguistic, archaeological and genetic evidence in a single study. Our analysis of ancient DNA suggests genetic continuity between an ancient Amur genetic lineage and the contemporary speakers of the Tungusic languages. Adding an archaeolinguistic perspective, we infer that the most plausible homeland for the speakers of Proto-Tungusic is the region around Lake Khanka in the Russian Far East. Our study pushes the field forward in answering the tantalizing question about the location of the Tungusic homeland and in illustrating how these three disciplines can converge into a holistic approach to the human past.
Highlights
Even if they are rapidly losing ground owing to Chinese and Russian influence, the speakers of Tungusic languages are widely distributed all over Northeast Asia, including Xinjiang, Siberia, Manchuria and the Russian Far East
Media summary: The Tungusic languages form a language family spoken in Xinjiang, Siberia, Manchuria and the Russian Far East
Integrating linguistic, archaeological and genetic evidence in a single study, we here show that the most plausible homeland for the speakers of Proto-Tungusic is the region around Lake Khanka in the Russian Far East
Summary
Even if they are rapidly losing ground owing to Chinese and Russian influence, the speakers of Tungusic languages are widely distributed all over Northeast Asia, including Xinjiang, Siberia, Manchuria and the Russian Far East Their wide distribution and the considerable internal variation of populations have made the exact geographical location where the ancestral speakers of Proto-Tungusic originated from subject to debate. We find (a) the Baikal region (Vasilevich 1960; Menges 1968; Derevyanko 1976; Helimski 1985), (b) the Mid Amur and the lower part of the Upper Amur region (Janhunen 1996: 169; Korovina 2011; Pevnov 2012; Wichmann, personal communication, 3 October 2019), (c) the Ussuri region around Lake Khanka, a tributary of the Amur (Robbeets et al 2020) and (d) the Yalu River region on the border between present-day Liaoning and Northern Korea (Janhunen 2012) We hope to answer the tantalizing question about the Tungusic homeland, posed by numerous specialists in the past
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
