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- Historically, there have been multiple claims and theories conceived that concern the origin of the Pashtun people, who are classified as an Iranic ethnic group native to Central and South Asia. The most prominent theories of Pashtun origin are: 1.
* The traditional legend of descent from the Ten Lost Tribes of the ancient Israelites through Saul, the first king of Israel. 2.
* Descent from the Hephthalites (also known as the White Huns), a late-antiquity nomadic confederation in Central Asia. 3.
* Descent from the Saka, a group of nomadic Iranic peoples who historically inhabited the Eurasian Steppe and the Tarim Basin. 4.
* Descent from the Pakthas, an ancient people referenced in Sanskrit and Greek sources who inhabited what is today southeastern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. 5.
* Descent from the ancient Greeks and Rajputs (see Ancient Greece–Ancient India relations). Prior to DNA studies, it was generally acknowledged that their origins were obscure; modern scholars suggest that a common and singular origin between the Pashtun tribes is unlikely due to their existence as a tribal confederation, according to one scholar trying to find the origin of the Pashtuns is “like exploring the source of the Amazon. Is there one specific beginning? And are the Pashtuns originally identical with the Afghans? Although the Pashtuns nowadays constitute a clear ethnic group with their own language and culture, there is no evidence whatsoever that all modern Pashtuns share the same ethnic origin. In fact it is highly unlikely” (en)
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