The origin of the Kurds

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This interdisciplinary study by Austrian historian Ferdinand Hennerbichler, supported by Iranist Gernot L. Windfuhr and DNA genealogist Anatole A. Klyosov, explores the origins of the Kurds. It concludes that their ancestors were primarily composed of Neolithic aboriginal peoples from the Northern Fertile Crescent and Indoiranian-speaking elites migrating from Central Asia. Recent research in Palaeo/Archaeo-genetics indicates that the earliest traceable origins of the Kurds stem from indigenous Near Eastern and Eurasian populations, particularly Neolithic farmers and shepherds active around 10,000-5,000 B.C.E. Over the millennia, these aboriginal groups were linguistically influenced by two waves of militarily organized Central Asian elites, occurring between 2,200/2,000-1,600 B.C.E. and around 800-600 B.C.E. These migrations contributed to the multi-ethno-cultural societies of the region. The Kurds initially spoke an unknown Proto-Non-Iranian language, with Hurritian being prominent in Kurdistan between 1,000-500 B.C.E. The term "Kurd" likely means "mountain people," with roots traceable to Sumerian terms for various mountain inhabitants. The study argues for the Kurds as an independent, autochthonous people, primarily from regions outside modern Iran, sparking ongoing scientific discussion with largely positive reactions.