The term "Aryan race" originally referred to a group of people who spoke Indo-European languages and were believed to have originated in ancient India and Iran. In the 19th century, it was misappropriated by some scholars and political movements to describe a supposed superior race, often associated with Northern Europe. This concept was based on flawed theories of racial hierarchy. The idea of the Aryan race gained prominence in the early 20th century, particularly in Nazi Germany, where it was used to justify discriminatory policies and the persecution of various groups. Modern genetics and anthropology have discredited the notion of a distinct Aryan race, emphasizing the shared heritage of all humans.