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Genetic studies show that the Brahmin caste, the highest Indian caste, has a higher portion of DNA related to the Yamnaya Culture found north of the Black Sea.<ref>Daniyal, Shoaib, "[https://scroll.in/article/936872/two-new-genetic-studies-upheld-aryan-migration-theory-so-why-did-indian-media-report-the-opposite Two new genetic studies upheld Indo-Aryan migration. So why did Indian media report the opposite?]"</ref> The Yamnaya flourished from 3300–2600 BC. They are thought to have spoken Proto-Indo-European, the ancestral language of the Indo-European language family.

Genetic studies show that the Brahmin caste, the highest Indian caste, has a higher portion of DNA related to the Yamnaya Culture found north of the Black Sea.<ref>Daniyal, Shoaib, "[https://scroll.in/article/936872/two-new-genetic-studies-upheld-aryan-migration-theory-so-why-did-indian-media-report-the-opposite Two new genetic studies upheld Indo-Aryan migration. So why did Indian media report the opposite?]"</ref> The Yamnaya flourished from 3300–2600 BC. They are thought to have spoken Proto-Indo-European, the ancestral language of the Indo-European language family.

The Yamnaya and related peoples on the Eastern European Steppe were pastoralists who conquered various farming peoples of eastern Europe. They likely slaughtered the men of the farming communities and married, raped, or enslaved the women, as their Y-DNA is dominant in Europe. This resulted in the creation of the Corded Ware culture, which lasted from 2900 – 2350 BC. The Yamnaya do not have the same Y-DNA makeup as the Corded Ware and Bell Beaker Cultures, suggesting that the Yamnaya were related to these groups but did not directly create them.

The Yamnaya and related peoples on the Eastern European Steppe were pastoralists who conquered various farming peoples of eastern Europe. They likely slaughtered the men of the farming communities and married, raped, or enslaved the women, as their Y-DNA is dominant in Europe. This resulted in the creation of the Corded Ware culture, which lasted from 2900 – 2350 BC. The Yamnaya do not have the same Y-DNA makeup as the Corded Ware and Bell Beaker Cultures, suggesting that the Yamnaya were related to these groups only in terms of male ancestry.

The two cultures are easily distinguished archeologically because the Yamnaya entombed their dead in mounds while the Corded Ware people dug pits. Reconstructions based on skeletal remains suggest that the Yamnaya had black hair and olive skin, like modern southern Europeans. The Corded Ware people were lighter pigmented, and the Indo-Iranic Sintashta and Andronovo even moreso.

The two cultures are easily distinguished archeologically because the Yamnaya entombed their dead in mounds while the Corded Ware people dug pits. Reconstructions based on skeletal remains suggest that the Yamnaya had black hair and olive skin, like modern southern Europeans. The Corded Ware people had blonde hair and lighter pigmentation. That is to say, these features are a result of intermarriage between the Yamnaya and the Neolithic farming community. The Sintashta and Andronovo peoples had even lighter pigmentation.

Corded Ware culture spread widely, both eastward into the Asian steppe and westward into central Europe. This caused Proto-Indo-European to fracture into proto-Germanic, proto-Baltic, and other pre-historic ancestor languages. The easternmost branch of the Corded Ware became the Andronovo (2000–900 BC), an archaeological culture of the central Asian steppe. This group is thought to have spoken Proto-Indo-Iranian and entered India by way of the Inner Asian Mountain Corridor.

Corded Ware culture spread widely, both eastward into the Asian steppe and westward into central Europe. This caused Proto-Indo-European to fracture into proto-Germanic, proto-Baltic, and other pre-historic ancestor languages. The easternmost branch of the Corded Ware became the Andronovo (2000–900 BC), an archaeological culture of the central Asian steppe. This group is thought to have spoken Proto-Indo-Iranian and entered India by way of the Inner Asian Mountain Corridor.