On the Trail of the Indo-Europeans: From Neolithic Steppe Nomads to Early Civilisations

For more than 3000 years, Indo-European languages have been spoken from India through Persia and into Europe. Where are the origins of this language family? How and when did its different linguistic branches emerge? The renowned historical linguist Harald Haarmann provides a graphic account of what we know today about the origins of Indo-European languages and cultures and how they came to be so widely disseminated. In this impressive study, he succeeds in drawing connections between linguistic findings, archaeological discoveries and the latest research into human genetics and climate history. In addition to linguistic affinities, he shows the economic, social and religious concepts that the early speakers of Indo-European languages had in common all the way from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Indus. Particular attention is devoted to the processes of assimilation with pre-Indo-European languages and civilisations. The result is a fascinating panorama of early "Indo-European globalisation" from the end of the last ice age to the early civilisations in Greece, Italy, Asia Minor, Persia and India.



Harald Haarmann is one of the world's bestknown linguists. He has been awarded the "Prix Logos" of the Association européenne des linguistes, Paris, as well as the "Premio Jean Monnet". His books have been translated into many languages. Marixverlag has published among others The Mystery of the Danube Civilisation (2019), Wer zivilisierte die Alten Griechen? (2017) and Die Anfänge Roms (2019).



CONTENTS

Introduction: The mystery of the Indo-Europeans

1. Homeland in the southern Russian steppe

(11th - 8th millennium BCE)

2. Proto-Indo-European language and culture

(from the 7th millennium BCE)

3. Early steppe nomads: Social systems and worldviews (from the 7th millennium BCE)

4. Contacts with farmers to the west

(from the 5th millennium BCE)

5. The ï¬rst migration of the steppe nomads

(from the middle of the 5th millennium BCE)

6. The fragmentation of Proto-Indo-European

(from 4000 BCE)

7. Southeast Europe: The emergence of Hellenic culture (from the 3rd millennium BCE)

8. Apennine Peninsula: The dominance of Latin

(from the 2nd millennium BCE)

9. The Balkans: Between Roman and Greek Civilisation (from the 2nd millennium BCE)

10. Central and Western Europe: Celtic and Germanic peoples (from the 2nd millennium BCE)

11. Eastern Europe: Slavs and Balts

(from the 2nd millennium BCE)

12. Asia Minor: Anatolian languages and cultures

(from the 2nd millennium BCE)

13. From Central Asia to the Iranian Plateau

(from the 2nd millennium BCE)

14. India: Dravidians and Aryans (2nd millennium BCE)

15. Outlying Indo-European settlements in western China (2nd millennium BCE)

16. Experiments with writing: From Linear B to Ogham (1700 BCE - 500 CE)

17. Epilogue: Indo-European globalisation

Bibliography

Sources of maps and illustrations

Index