Evidence is emerging that the origins of farming in Europe can be traced back to Anatolia in modern day Turkey. Occupation of the area stretches back to the Palaeolithic Era and it is also conjectured that the Indo-European language group also originated here.
     A group from the Archaeological Research Laboratory, Stockholm University (Sweden), has been studying the DNA of human remains found within the area known as Kumtepe, close to the site of Troy and also renowned for being the oldest permanent settlement in the area. Although the group has yet to publish their findings, the initial results are leading them to believe that this area was at the heart of the transition to farming.
     Team leader Jan Stora, associate professor in osteoarchaeology, is quoted as saying "It is complicated to work with material from this region, it is hot and the DNA is degrading. But if you want to understand how the process that led from a hunter gatherer society proceeding to a farming society, it is this material that we need to exhaust".

Edited from EurekaAlert! (4 January 2016)