‘This is scholarship at its very best. A brilliant book in every respect' Barry Cunliffe A lifetime’s study brings an authoritative perspective to one of the great unknowns in human history - the origin and language of the Indo-Europeans. Today the number of native speakers of Indo-European languages across the world is reckoned to be over 2.6 billion or about 45% of the earth’s population. Yet the idea that an ancient, prehistoric population in one time and place gave rise to our own family of people and language is one with a long and troubled past. In this expansive investigation, based on over 50 years of research, J. P. Mallory navigates the complex history of our search for the Indo-European homeland, offering fresh insight into the debates surrounding their origin as well as the latest genetic research. In this compelling account, Mallory explores ancient migrations, linguistics and archaeology, applying cutting edge-genetic research to untangle the key arguments with wit and verve. He addresses how the controversial idea of a single, shared homeland has been viewed by scientists, archaeologists and linguists across the past century and reconsiders how, in the case of the Nazis and more recent nationalist movements, they have been manipulated for political advantage. He goes on to unpick the linguistic trail linking us to the Indo-Europeans, looking at Sanskrit, Greek, Latin and more, tracing our linguistic origins across multiple peoples and cultures, finally bringing the most up to date phylogenetic research to bear on the story. Ultimately this book offers the most conclusive answer to the controversial question of where we are from and how we got here.
