Reena Martins
for The Telegraph
History scholar Teotonio R. de Souza, who comes from the village Moirá, in North Goa, found that his paternal ancestors crossed southeast Europe, most likely central and southern Italy, Greece and Romania, on their way from Africa.
About 1,50,000 years ago, de Souza’s early paternal relatives had come out of Ethiopia, via Egypt, and crossed into Europe and Asia to reach India. One group, however, branched off into Turkey and Greece.
On a map, his ancestors from his mother’s side are seen stepping out of the northern tip of Africa, somewhere around Libya. Their route, marked by arrows, proceeded towards Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
One part of the group moved towards Mongolia, while the other entered India through the north, crossing over to Bengal. While one group reached Goa, others crossed the Indian Ocean and stopped in northern Australia.