The Roma originate in the Indian subcontinent. The clearest evidence is linguistic: Romani is an Indo-Aryan language closely related to Sanskrit and to the modern languages of north-western India, and its layers of borrowed words trace the route the community travelled. Genetic studies point the same way.
From around the eleventh century, groups moved westward through Persia, Armenia and the Byzantine world, reaching the edges of Europe over the following centuries. The journey took generations, and the language preserved a record of every region passed through — a living archive carried in everyday speech.
Sources & further reading: Council of Europe “From India to Europe” factsheet and Wikipedia.
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Indian roots
Romani’s grammar and vocabulary point to north-western India.
Westward
Centuries of migration through Persia, Armenia and Byzantium.
The evidence
Language and genetics together reconstruct the path.
Why it matters
Shared origins anchor a common identity across the diaspora.
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