Distribution of the Baltic tribes, circa 1200 CE. The Eastern Balts are shown in brown hues while the Western Balts are shown in green. The boundaries are approximate.

The Balts or Baltic peoples (Latvian: balti; Lithuanian: baltai; Latgalian: bolti, lit. Albanian (sq ''Gjuha shqipe'' ˈɟuha ˈʃcipɛ is an Indo-European language spoken by nearly 6 million peoplewhile others claim that it derives from Daco - The Armenian language (hy հայերեն լեզու hajɛɹɛn lɛzu —, conventional short form) is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian The Baltic languages are a group of related languages belonging to the Indo-European language family and spoken mainly in areas extending east and southeast of the Baltic The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic" a branch of the greater Indo-European Language family. The Germanic languages are a group of related languages that constitute a branch of the Indo-European (IE Language family. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly The Indo-Iranian language group constitutes the easternmost extant branch of the Indo-European family of languages The Indo-Aryan languages (within the context of Indo-European studies also Indic) are a branch of the Indo-European language family The Iranian languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family and its subfamily Indo-Iranian. The Italic subfamily is a member of the Indo-European language family's Centum branch The Slavic languages (also called Slavonic languages) a group of closely related Languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages The Anatolian languages are a group of extinct Indo-European languages which were spoken in Asia Minor, the best attested of them being the Hittite language The Paleo-Balkan languages were the Indo-European languages that were spoken in the Balkans in Ancient times. The Dacian language was spoken by the ancient inhabitants of Dacia. The Phrygian language was the Indo-European language of the Phrygians a people from Thrace who later migrated to Asia Minor. The Thracian language was the Indo-European language spoken in ancient times by the Thracians in South-Eastern Europe Tocharian or Tokharian is one of the branches of the Indo-European language family. } Albanians (Shqiptarët are an Ethnic group and a Nation, in the sense of sharing a common Albanian culture speaking the Albanian language The Armenians (Հայեր Hayer) are a Nation and Ethnic group originating in the Caucasus and in the Armenian Highlands A large Modern Celts are those peoples who are speakers of Celtic languages, or who consider themselves or have been considered by others to participate in a Celtic culture This is a list of Germanic peoples. Classical philosophy The Greeks assigned names to populations they considered distinct based on the city-state ( The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions The Iranian people are a collection of Ethnic groups defined along linguistic lines as speaking Iranian languages. Latin is the name of various peoples or ethnicities related to the Latium region in the Italian Peninsula, to the Latin language, or to its descendants Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black The Hittites were an ancient Anatolian people who spoke a language of the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family and established Luwian (sometimes spelled Luvian) is an extinct language of the Anatolian branch of the Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts Ancient Galatia was an area in the highlands of central Anatolia in modern Turkey. Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic Illyrians has come to refer to a broad ill-defined " Indo-European " group of peoples who inhabited the western Balkans ( Illyria, roughly Ancient peoples of Italy are all those peoples that lived in Italy (including the islands of Sicily and Sardinia) before the Roman domination The Sarmatians, Sarmatae or Sauromatae ( Old Iranian Sarumatah 'archer' Σαρμάτες The Scythians or Scyths (Σκύθες Σκύθοι were an Iranian speaking people of horse-riding Nomadic pastoralists who dominated the Pontic "Thracians" also refers to modern inhabitants of Thrace, regardless of ethnicity The Tocharians were the Tocharian -speaking inhabitants of the Tarim basin, making them the easternmost speakers of an Indo-European language in antiquity Indo-Iranian peoples consist of the Indo-Aryan, Iranian, Dardic and Nuristani peoples that is speakers of Indo-Iranian languages The Indo-Aryan tribes mentioned in the Rigveda are described as semi- Nomadic pastoralists subdivided into temporary settlements ( vish, viś and headed Ancient Iranian peoples who settled Greater Iran in the 2nd millennium BC first appear in Assyrian records in the 9th century BC. The Proto-Indo-Europeans (PIE were the speakers of the Proto-Indo-European language, who likely lived around 4000 BC, during the Copper Age and the The society of the Proto-Indo-Europeans (PIE existed during the Bronze Age (roughly fifth to fourth millennium BC and has been reconstructed The existence of similarities among the deities and religious practices of the Indo-European (IE peoples allows glimpses of a common Proto-Indo-European The question of the homeland ( Urheimat) of the Proto-Indo-European peoples and their Proto-Indo-European language has been a recurring topic in Indo-European The Kurgan hypothesis (also theory or model) is a model of early Indo-European origins, which postulates that the Kurgan culture of the Pontic steppe The Anatolian hypothesis is also called Renfrew's NDT; it proposes that the dispersal ( Discontinuity) of Proto-Indo-Europeans originated in Neolithic The Armenian hypothesis of the Proto-Indo-European Urheimat, based on the Glottalic theory suggests that the Proto-Indo-European language The Out of India theory ( OIT, also called the Indian Urheimat Theory) is the proposition that the Indo-European language family originated in The Paleolithic Continuity Theory (or PCT,Italian La teoria della continuità) is a Hypothesis suggesting that the hypothetical Proto-Indo-European Indo-European studies is a field of Linguistics dealing with Indo-European languages, both current and extinct Latvian language (latviešu valoda is the official state language of Latvia. Lithuanian ( lietuvių kalba) is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognised as one of the official languages of the European Union. Latgalian language can mean one of the following It was a language spoken by Latgalians in a great part of the area which is now Latvia. "white"), defined as speakers of one of the Baltic languages, a branch of the Indo-European language family, are descended from a group of Indo-European tribes who settled the area between lower Vistula and upper Daugava and Dnieper rivers on the southeast shore of the Baltic Sea. The Baltic languages are a group of related languages belonging to the Indo-European language family and spoken mainly in areas extending east and southeast of the Baltic The Daugava or Western Dvina (Daugava Западная Двина́ (Zapadnaya Dvina Заходняя Дзвiна za'xodnʲaja dzʲvʲi'na Dźwina Düna Väina For the rocket see Dnepr rocket. For other uses see Dnieper (disambiguation. The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude.

The number of lakes and swamps in this area isolated the Balts, and as a result of this isolation the Baltic languages retain a number of conservative or archaic features. Among the Baltic peoples are modern Lithuanians, Latvians and Latgalians -- all Eastern Balts -- as well as the Prussians, Yotvingians and Galindians, whose languages and cultures are now extinct. Lithuanians are the Baltic Ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number a little over 3 million Latvians or Letts (latvieši the indigenous Baltic people of Latvia, occasionally refer to themselves by the ancient name of Latvji, which The term Latgalians (latgalieši latgaļi (also spelt Latgallians and sometimes known as Lettigalls, Latgolans, or Lettigallians) "Prussians" redirects here "Prussians" may also refer to citizens of the former German state of Prussia. Yotvingians or Sudovians (also called Suduvians, Jatvians, or Jatvingians in English (Jotvingiai Sūduviai Jatvingi Jaćwingowie Яцьвягі term Galindians may be applied to two distinct and now extinct tribes of the Balts.

The term Balts was created by German linguist Georg Nesselmann in 1845 to describe similar ethnic groups that live near Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. The term is sometimes confused with "Baltic", which however refers primarily to the Baltic states, including Estonians and Livonians who are not Balts. The Baltic states (Balti riigid Baltijas valstis Baltijos valstybės or Baltic countries are three countries in Northern Europe, all members of the Estonians ( Estonian: eestlased, previously maarahvas) are a Finnic people closely related to the Finns and inhabiting primarily the country The Livonians or Livs are the indigenous inhabitants of Livonia, a large part of what is today the northwestern Latvia and southwestern

History

Prehistory

The prehistoric cradle of the Baltic peoples according to archaeogenetic research and archaeological studies was the area near the Baltic sea and central Europe at the end of the Ice Age and beginning of the Mesolithic period. Archaeogenetics, a term coined by Colin Renfrew, refers to the application of the techniques of molecular Population genetics to the study of the Human An ice age is a period of long-term reduction in the Temperature of the Earth 's surface and atmosphere resulting in an expansion of continental Ice sheets The Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age was a period in the development of human technology in between the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age and the Neolithic or New Stone Age They spread in the area from the Baltic sea in the west to the Volga in the east. The Slavic cradle was in the Danubian - Krakowian region close to the Baltic. The Slavs entered the Dniepr region in the 6th century CE after the Avar invasion of Europe, conquering and assimilating most of the Eastern Balts. Dnieper Ukraine (Наддніпрянщина Naddnipryanshchyna) was the territory of Ukraine in the Russian Empire ( Little Russia) roughly corresponding The Caucasian Avars are a modern people of Caucasus, mainly of Dagestan. According to some older theories, the formative region of the Balts was located until the end of the second millennium BC near the upper and middle Dniepr river in modern Ukraine, which is thought to have been settled by a hypothetical Balto-Slavic community; that is, a population ancestral both to the modern Balts and Slavs. Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe. The Balto-Slavic language group consists of the Baltic and Slavic languages, belonging to the Indo-European family of languages In the early 1st millennium BC several groups of people migrated from the area to the shores of the Baltic Sea, where they settled between the Pasłęka and Neman rivers. The 1st millennium BC encompasses the Iron Age and sees the rise of successive empires The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. Pasłęka is a River in northern Poland, a tributary of the Vistula Bay and thus into the Baltic Sea, with a length of 211 km (23rd longest "Nieman" and "Niemen" redirects here For other uses see Neman and Nieman (disambiguation. It is not likely that this migration gave birth to the Baltic tribes.

Several scholars, such as Būga, Vasmer, Toporov and Trubachov, in conducting etymological studies of eastern European river names, were able to identify in certain regions names of specifically Baltic provenance, which most likely indicate where the Balts lived in prehistoric times. Kazimieras Būga ( November 6 1879 &ndash December 2 1924) was a Lithuanian linguist and Philologist. Max Vasmer ( February 28, 1886 &mdash November 30, 1962) was a Russian born German linguist who studied problems Vladimir Nikolayevich Toporov ( 5 July, 1928 - 5 December, 2005) was a leading Russian philologist who presided over the This information is summarized and synthesized by Gimbutas in The Balts (1963) to obtain a likely proto-Baltic homeland. Marija Gimbutas ( Marija Gimbutienė) ( Vilnius, January 23, 1921 – Los Angeles, United States February 2 Its borders are approximately: from a line on the Pomeranian coast eastward to include or nearly include the present-day sites of Warsaw, Kiev, and Kursk, northward through Moscow to the River Berzha, westward in an irregular line to the coast of the Gulf of Riga, north of Riga. Warsaw (Warszawa; also known by other names) is the Capital and Largest city of Poland. Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the History KurskOld2jpg|thumb|200px|Pre-1917 view of Kursk]] Archaeology indicates that the site of Kursk was settled in the fifth or fourth century B Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of Riga (Rīga riːga) the Capital of Latvia, is situated on the Baltic Sea coast on the mouth of the river Daugava.

This homeland includes all historical Balts and every location where Balts have been said or implied to have been at different periods of time. The Baltic occupation of Western Russia, for instance, may be dated to the 4th century AD. term Galindians may be applied to two distinct and now extinct tribes of the Balts.

In the first centuries of the 1st millennium AD, the Baltic tribes settled the area between the Vistula and the Daugava. The first millennium is a period of time that commenced on January 1, 1, and ended on December 31, 1000, of the Julian calendar. Their culture is easily recognizable and most probably they were the ancestors of the tribes of Western Balts (Prussians, Yotvingians, Galindians, Scalovians, and Curonians), as well as Eastern Balts (Lithuanians, Semigallians, and Latgalians). "Prussians" redirects here "Prussians" may also refer to citizens of the former German state of Prussia. Yotvingians or Sudovians (also called Suduvians, Jatvians, or Jatvingians in English (Jotvingiai Sūduviai Jatvingi Jaćwingowie Яцьвягі term Galindians may be applied to two distinct and now extinct tribes of the Balts. The Scalovians (Schalauer Skalviai also known as the Skalvians, was a Baltic tribe related to Prussians. The Kursenieki are also known as Curonians The Curonians ( Curonian: Kursi; Kuren Kurši Kuršiai Kuralased were Lithuanians are the Baltic Ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number a little over 3 million Semigallians ( Latvian Zemgaļi, also Zemgalians Semigalls Semigalians are one of the Baltic tribes that lived in Zemgale, in the southcentral The term Latgalians (latgalieši latgaļi (also spelt Latgallians and sometimes known as Lettigalls, Latgolans, or Lettigallians)

In 98 AD Tacitus described one of the tribes leaving near the Baltic Sea (Mare Svebicum) as Aestiorum gentes, or amber gatherers. Year 98 was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (ca 56 &ndash ca 117 was a senator and a Historian of the Roman Empire. Amber is Fossil tree Resin, which is appreciated for its color and beauty It is believed that these peoples were inhabitants of the Sambian peninsula, although no other contemporary sources exist. Sambia (Земландский полуостров Zemlandsky poluostrov) or Samland ( is a Peninsula in the Kaliningrad Oblast of

The proto-Baltic culture that remained in the Dnieper area, however, bore a significant resemblance to its Baltic counterpart, and was also similar to the culture of other peoples inhabitating the forests of Eastern Europe, which became almost completely Slavicised between the 7th and the 10th centuries CE. Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. The 7th century is the period from 601 to 700 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era.

Invasions

In the 12th and the 13th centuries, internal struggles, as well as invasions by Ruthenians and Poles and later the expansion of the Teutonic Order resulted in an almost complete annihilation of the Galindians, Curonians, and Yotvingians. The term Ruthenians (Русини Rusyny) is a culturally loaded term and has different meanings according to the context in which it is used The Polish people, or Poles, (Polacy) are a Western Slavic Ethnic group of Central Europe, living predominantly in Poland. The Teutonic Order is a German Roman Catholic religious order. The last of the Old Prussians became Germanized some time in the 16th century, after the Reformation in Prussia. Germanisation (also spelled Germanization) is either the spread of the German language, people and culture either by force or Assimilation The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time Prussia ( Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Prūsija Prūsija Prusy Old Prussian: Prūsa) was most recently a historic state The cultures of the Lithuanians and Latgalians/Latvians survived and became the ancestors of the populations of the modern countries of Latvia and Lithuania. Latvia ( Latvija officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republika is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region. Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the

Genetic research and a possible Finno-Ugric origin

In addition, and to a great extent in contradiction to research on the basis of linguistic analysis, genetics-related data has started to emerge in recent years. According to Finnish research (Laitinen et al, 2001) and Richard Villems (2001, Estonia) who have carried out principal component analysis of some major genetic lines, the closest genetic relatives of modern Balts (Lithuanians and Latvians) appear to be modern Estonians and Mari people (autonomous republic of Mari-El in Russia) while Russians and Poles have considerably less genetic similarity. Mari El Republic (Респу́блика Мари́й Эл Mari: Марий Эл Республик is a federal subject and republic of Russia This has led some scientists to believe that the people known today as Balts were initially largely of Finno-Ugric origin (or in turn, modern day Finns were initially of east Baltic origin) - thus, the languages spoken today by these groups would have become established through language replacement. Language shift, sometimes referred to as language transfer or language replacement or assimilation, is the progressive process whereby a speech community

Baltic peoples and tribes

Map of the Baltic Sea

• Lithuanians
• Latvians (Letts)
• Latgalians
• Curonians (Kursi) ^†
• Curonians (Kursenieki)
• Curonian Kings ^†
• Old Prussians ^†
• Prussian Lithuanians
• Samogitians
• Semigallians (Zemigalians) ^†
• Yotvingians ^†
• Selonians ^†
• Nadruvians ^†
• Scalovians ^†
• Eastern Galindians ^†
• Dniepr (Eastern) Balts ^†
• Pomeranian (Western) Balts ^†

^† Extinct

See also

Aesti

References

• (Polish) Bałtowie. The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. Lithuanians are the Baltic Ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number a little over 3 million Latvians or Letts (latvieši the indigenous Baltic people of Latvia, occasionally refer to themselves by the ancient name of Latvji, which The term Latgalians (latgalieši latgaļi (also spelt Latgallians and sometimes known as Lettigalls, Latgolans, or Lettigallians) The Kursenieki are also known as Curonians The Curonians ( Curonian: Kursi; Kuren Kurši Kuršiai Kuralased were For the extinct Baltic tribe see Curonians. The Kursenieki ( Curonians; Kuren Kuršininkai Kursenieki (sg " Curonian Kings " (Kurische Könige Kuršu ķoniņi Куриш-Кениге was a social and Ethnic group of Latvians that lived in seven villages "Prussians" redirects here "Prussians" may also refer to citizens of the former German state of Prussia. The term Prussian Lithuanians, Lietuwininkai (singular Lietuwininkas) Lietuvininkai refers to a Western Lithuanian ethnic group which did not form Samogitians (Žemaičiai Samogitian: Žemaitē) are a Baltic ethnic group inhabiting the region of Samogitia in Lithuania. Semigallians ( Latvian Zemgaļi, also Zemgalians Semigalls Semigalians are one of the Baltic tribes that lived in Zemgale, in the southcentral Yotvingians or Sudovians (also called Suduvians, Jatvians, or Jatvingians in English (Jotvingiai Sūduviai Jatvingi Jaćwingowie Яцьвягі Selonians were a tribe of Baltic peoples who are now extinct The Selonians lived until the 15th century in Selonia, located in southeastern Latvia The Nadruvians were one of the now-extinct Prussian clans. They lived in Nadruvia (alternative spellings include Nadruva, Nadrowite, The Scalovians (Schalauer Skalviai also known as the Skalvians, was a Baltic tribe related to Prussians. term Galindians may be applied to two distinct and now extinct tribes of the Balts. Dniepr Balts (part of Eastern Balts) - the Baltic tribes used to live near Dnieper River in the Bronze Age and later still were assimilated The Pomeranian (Western Balts were Baltic tribes who lived between the Jutland peninsula in the west and the Vistula river in the east The Aesti (or Aestii) were a people described by the Roman historian Tacitus in his treatise Germania (ca Encyklopedia Internetowa PWN. Retrieved on May 25, 2005.
• (Polish) Antoniewicz, Jerzy; Aleksander Gieysztor (1979). Bałtowie zachodni w V w. p. n. e. - V w. n. e.  : terytorium, podstawy gospodarcze i społeczne plemion prusko-jaćwieskich i letto-litewskich. Olsztyn-Białystok: Pojezierze. Olsztyn (Allenstein Olštynas Old Prussian: Alnāsteini) is a City in northeastern Poland, on the River Łyna. Białystok Lublin Voivodeship Białystok (also known by alternative names) is the largest City in northeastern Poland. ISBN 83-7002-001-1.  
• Gimbutas, Marija (1963). Marija Gimbutas ( Marija Gimbutienė) ( Vilnius, January 23, 1921 – Los Angeles, United States February 2 The Balts. London: Thames & Hudson.  
• (Polish) Kosman, Marceli (1981). Zmierzch Perkuna czyli ostatni poganie nad Bałtykiem. Warsaw: Książka i Wiedza.  
• Čepiene, Irena (2000). Historia litewskiej kultury etnicznej. Kaunas, "Šviesa". Kaunas ( ˈkoʊnəs is the second largest City in Lithuania and a former temporary capital. ISBN 5-430-02902-5.  
• (Polish) Okulicz-Kozaryn, Łucja (1983). Życie codzienne Prusów i Jaćwięgów w wiekach średnich. Warsaw: Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy.  
• "Lithuanians". 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica (1). (1911).  
• (Polish) "Bałtowie". Wielka Encyklopedia PWN (1). (2001).  

External links

• Marija Gimbutas' "The Balts" e-book
• Pages and Forums on the Lithuanian History
• Who were the Balts?
• The origin of the Baltic, German and Slavic people. The iceland ages
• Indo-Europeans in the Eastern Baltic in the view of an archaeologist? An article by Ilze Loze.
• "The world outlook of the ancient Balts" The English summary of book by Norbertas Vėlius. Norbertas Vėlius (born January 1 1938 in Gulbės near Šilalė — died June 23 1996 in Vilnius) was a Lithuanian folklorist specializing in Baltic
• "We, the Balts" The article by Algirdas Sabaliauskas.
• "The Cosmology of ancient Balts" The article by Vytautas Straižys and Libertas Klimka. Vytautas Straižys (born August 20 1936) is a Lithuanian Astronomer.