ah aran , ▁Af ro - A si atic , ▁U ral ic , ▁S ino - T ib et an ▁or ▁Ind o - Europe an ▁ph y la . ▁The ▁spec ulative ▁N ost r atic ▁theory ▁post ul ates ▁the ▁deriv ation ▁of ▁the ▁major ▁language ▁families ▁of ▁E uras ia ▁( ex cluding ▁S ino - T ib et an ) ▁from ▁a ▁single ▁proto - l anguages ▁spoken ▁at ▁the ▁beginning ▁of ▁the ▁Hol oc ene ▁period . ▁ ▁E uras ia ▁ ▁Ev idence ▁published ▁in ▁ 2 0 1 4 ▁from ▁gen ome ▁analysis ▁of ▁ancient ▁human ▁remains ▁suggests ▁that ▁the ▁modern ▁native ▁populations ▁of ▁Europe ▁largely ▁descend ▁from ▁three ▁distinct ▁line ages : ▁" West ern ▁Hunter - G ather ers ", ▁derivative ▁of ▁the ▁Cro - M agn on ▁population ▁of ▁Europe , ▁Early ▁European ▁Farm ers ▁introduced ▁to ▁Europe ▁from ▁the ▁Near ▁East ▁during ▁the ▁Ne ol ith ic ▁Revolution ▁and ▁An cient ▁North ▁E uras ians ▁which ▁expanded ▁to ▁Europe ▁in ▁the ▁context ▁of ▁the ▁Ind o - Europe an ▁expansion . ▁ ▁The ▁Af ro asi atic ▁Ur heim at ▁has ▁been ▁placed ▁in ▁either ▁Africa ▁or ▁Asia . ▁ ▁Sub - S ah aran ▁Africa ▁ ▁The ▁Nil otic ▁pe op les ▁are ▁thought ▁to ▁be ▁derived ▁from ▁an ▁earlier ▁und iffer enti ated ▁Eastern ▁Sud an ic ▁unity ▁by ▁the ▁ 3 rd ▁mill en ni um ▁B CE . ▁The ▁development ▁of ▁the ▁Pro to - Nil otes