Researcher Ardian Muhaj has spoken about a recent DNA-based study which, according to him, suggests that Albanians are the oldest population in the Balkans. He explained that the study went through three versions and took several years to be published.
“The study has been published, and the publication process took around three years with three versions. This is the final version. Before the first submitted version in 2003, there was an intermediate pre-print version so that not only the authors and reviewers but also the broader scientific community could provide critical feedback and test the findings in an open exchange of facts rather than opinions,” Muhaj said.
He added that the entire project took about five to six years from initial submission to final publication.
According to him, genetic findings indicate that ancient Balkan populations such as Thracians and Dacians did not leave clearly preserved genetic or linguistic traces in the same way some expected.
“Our DNA shows what was already assumed, especially regarding the Illyrians. The fact that we do not have many preserved elements has not only affected the Illyrians. All ancient Balkan populations, with the exception of the Ghegs for certain reasons, have not preserved written linguistic forms—neither Thracian nor Dacian nor other ancient population languages,” he said.
Muhaj concluded that this opens a new scientific perspective for reinterpreting historical and genetic data in the Balkans.
