The origins of the Indo-Europeans

[erudito]

An excellent study of the origins of the Indo-Europeans by an archaeologist who respects (and uses intelligently) the findings of linguists is reviewed here, here and hereThis has been a particularly fraught scholarly and pseudo-scholarly area, given all the "Aryan" fantasies it has given rise to, which the author handles very intelligently

Comments

[yamamanama]

The Sinhalese are doing their best to make sure everyone knows they're Aryans, if you know what I mean.

I think they regard themselves as Aryans in the 1940s sense too.

[marycatelli]

Truly amazing arguments from the earlier part of the twentieth century. Such as that Athena was clearly blue-eyed, not gray-eyed. That upper class Romans and Greeks were big, blond, pale, and fair-eyed until they made the mistake of interbreeding. . . .

Though, to be sure, they were even more limited. The Aryans were in their eyes the Nordics, not all the Indo-Europeans.

Quite so

[erudito]

There are some great quotes about that sort of nonsense in Anthony's book on the Indo-Europeans: "language does not have skull shape" springs to mind.

Re: Quite so

[marycatelli]

One might as well speak of a dolichocephalic grammar.