[…] What makes Basque people unique is their language. Sure, you might say, most countries have their very own, distinct language. But if you trace each of these languages, you’ll find they stem from a common root. Most of the European ones, with the notable exception of Uralic languages like Finnish, Hungarian, and Estonian, belong to a large family of languages called the Indo-European family. Basque, or Euskara as known by its denomination, on the other hand doesn’t resemble any other language on the face of the Earth, past or present.  Other potential non-Indo-European languages such as the Tartessian or Pictish are either doubtful or uncertain in classification and understanding (Etruscan, or later Arabic in Spain, are not indigenous).

Seeing how the language must have been spoken for millennia, some have claimed that Basque is a perfect example of a “relic language” – a language which dates from prehistoric, hunter-gather times which somehow survived the influence of farmers who moved in the region some 7,500 years ago. It looks like an enigma, but luckily there’s an anthropological treasure trove that might come to the rescue: the El Portalón cave in northern Spain. Located near  the Atapuerca Mountains, this cave has been constantly occupied from 30,000 to 1,000 years, sheltering hunter gathers, early farmers and medieval Basques. Each generation left its mark on the cave as demonstrated by the countless artifacts found in the cave. More.

See: ZME Science

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