Ancient-DNA analyses identify a Caucasus Lower Volga people as the ancient originators of Proto-Indo-European, the precursor to the massive Indo-European language family. The population lived on the Eurasian steppe within the borders of current-day Russia during the Copper Age about 6,500 years ago, data show.

Proto-Indo-European language was a language likely spoken about 4,500 years ago (and before) in what is now Southern Russia and Ukraine. Because its speakers left no written records, it is a reconstructed language. The existing Indo-European languages, such as English, Spanish, or Hindi, descend from this language.

Sanskrit belongs to the Indo-European family of languages. It is one of the three earliest ancient documented languages that arose from a common root language now referred to as Proto-Indo-European: Vedic Sanskrit ( c. 1500–500 BCE). Mycenaean Greek ( c. 1450 BCE)

This overview provides a foundational understanding of the roots of the English language, tracing its evolution from Proto-Indo-European through the influences of Latin, Greek, and Celtic languages, the migrations of the Germanic tribes, the development of Old English grammar and vocabulary, and key literary works from ...