The Basques Basque : Euskaldunak are an indigenous ethno-linguistic group mainly inhabiting the Basque Country adjacent areas of Spain and France. Their history is therefore interconnected with Spanish and French history and also with the history of many other past and present countries, particularly in Europe and the Americas , where a large number of their descendants keep attached to their roots, clustering around Basque clubs which are centers for Basque people.
The Hand of Irulegi , a 2, years old 1st century BC bronze hand silhouette was unearthed in June from a Navarrese Lakidain hillside and is the oldest Basconic text to date.
Despite the evident etymological connection between Vascones and the modern denomination Basque , there is no direct proof that the Vascones were the modern Basques' ancestors or spoke the language that has evolved into modern Basque , although this is strongly suggested both by the historically consistent toponymy of the area and by a few personal names on tombstones dating from the Roman period. Three different peoples inhabited the territory of the present Basque Autonomous Community : the Varduli , Caristii and Autrigones.
Historical sources do not state whether these tribes were related to the Vascones , the Aquitani or the Celts. The area where a Basque-related language is best attested from an early period is Gascony in France, to the north of the present-day Basque region, whose ancient inhabitants, the Aquitani , spoke a language related to Basque. Although little is known about the prehistory of the Basques before the period of Roman occupation owing to the difficulty in identifying evidence for specific cultural traits, the mainstream view today is that the Basque area shows signs of archaeological continuity since the Aurignacian period.
.jpg/900px-Rue_du_Languedoc_(Toulouse).jpg "SEX AGENCY in Toulouse")
The possibility therefore cannot be ruled out of at least some of the same people having continued to inhabit the area for thirty millennia.
