In Search of the Indo-Europeans

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What image do the Indo-Europeans conjure up? For many, it's one of horse-riding warriors sweeping out of Asia, spreading their languages and culture with each clash of the sword. Linguistic history shows that most peoples of Europe, Iran, and India share a common ancient language known as Proto-Indo-European. Celts, Germans, Italians, Greeks, Albanians, Slavs, Indians, and many extinct peoples can trace their linguistic ancestry back to this mother tongue. However, how closely does the story told by languages align with the historical and archaeological record? What do we know about the lives and beliefs of these early Indo-Europeans, and where was their original homeland? Dr. Mallory meticulously traces the origins of each Indo-European group in Europe and Asia. By comparing their languages, he highlights their shared cultural heritage, and through comparative mythology, he explores their earliest beliefs. He presents the case for their most likely homeland and offers archaeological and linguistic evidence for their expansion across Europe and Asia, a process that has led to Indo-European speakers reaching every corner of the world. Accompanied by extensive quotations from translated texts and illustrated with maps, diagrams, and photographs, this work is recognized as the standard in its field.