An Alternative Origin Story for The Romani People

The whole project developed when a variety of Romani people from a variety of countries discovered they have Jewish ancestry. We began testing people and looking for Jewish ancestry. Well, we were in for a surprise. All the people we tested had Jewish ancestry. This would include: 

German Sinti 

French Manouce 

Piedmont Sinti 

Slovakian Romungo 

Slovakian  Lovari 

Slovakian Carpathians 

Anglo-Romani 

Spanish Gitanos 

Swiss Jenish 

French Jenish 

Romanian Vlax

Romanian Gabor 

Romanian Calderai 

The conventional wisdom is that Romani people came from Northern India, migrating through the Muslim world, and eventually making their way to Europe. Our reseearch has revealed that while this group of people do have Indian ancestry, it is Jewish Indian ancestry, Benei Menashe, Bnai Israel, and Cochin Jews included. But they also carried European Jewish, Central Asian Jewish, Mizrahi Jewish, and Caucasian Jewish ancestry. If you total up their Indian Jewish ancestry, it is always less than there other Jewish ancestries combined. In other words, if a perosn is 18% Indian Jewish ancestry, they will also have another 70% of mixed Jewish ancestry. But, this Jewish ancestry is interesting: it follows the the Jewish communities that dotted the silk road. 

While one could say, the Romani people we have tested, are of Indian ancestry, it would be more acccurate to say they have some Indian Jewish ancestry, but more Jewish ancestry from along the silk road. 

At the moment, we have only tested European Romani. We are moving onto central Asian Romani and we will see if this trend countinues when we move out of Europe and into Asia. Stay tuned. 

But, here is what we have found so far.  The short form is that it looks like the Romani we have tested descend from the Rhadanite Jews. They were travelling merchants Jews who lived in caravans and connected the Jewish communities along the silk road. Bear in mind, these Jewish communities were old. The Indian Jewish community dates back to Jewish migration from Israel and Yemen to India before Israel was destroyed by Rome. (100 BC-200 AD). 

From our research, on the groups we have tested, it would appear it would be more accurate to say "Romani have Indian Jewish ancestry, and ancestry coming from a lot of other ancient Jewish communities, dotted along the silk road. 

Below you find the maps which plot out the our ancient burial grounds, where were have DNA matches to Jewish communities, and the ancient silk routes. The first map is the classic Radanite trade route. As you will see, the Slovakian And Spanish Gypsies, ancient and Jewish matches, follow the trade routes almost perfectly. Below this slide show, you will find the paper and you can read about the subject in greater detail.