J. P. Mallory - Böcker

‘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.

This book introduces Proto-Indo-European, describes how it was reconstructed from its descendant languages, and shows what it reveals about the people who spoke it between 5,500 and 8,000 years ago. Using related evidence from archaeology and natural history the authors explore the lives, thoughts, passions, culture, society, economy, history, and environment of the Proto-Indo-Europeans. They include chapters on fauna, flora, family and kinship, clothing and textiles, food and drink, space and time, emotions, mythology, and religion, and describe the quest to discover the Proto-Indo-European homeland.

This book introduces Proto-Indo-European and explores what the language reveals about the people who spoke it. The Proto-Indo-Europeans lived somewhere in Europe or Asia between 5,500 and 8,000 years ago, and no text of their language survives. J. P. Mallory and Douglas Adams show how over the last two centuries scholars have reconstructed it from its descendant languages, the surviving examples of which comprise the world's largest language family. After a concise account of Proto-Indo-European grammar and a consideration of its discovery, they use the reconstructed language and related evidence from archaeology and natural history to examine the lives, thoughts, passions, culture, society, economy, history, and environment of the Proto-Indo-Europeans. Our distant ancestors had used the wheel, were settled arable farmers, kept sheep and cattle, brewed beer, got married, made weapons, and had 27 verbs for the expression of strife. The subjects to which the authors devote chapters include fauna, flora, family and kinship, clothing and textiles, food and drink, space and time, emotions, mythology, religion, and the continuing quest to discover the Proto-Indo-European homeland.Proto-Indo-European-English and English-Proto-Indo-European vocabularies and full indexes conclude the book. Written in a clear, readable style and illustrated with maps, figures, and tables, this book is on a subject of great and enduring fascination. It will appeal to students of languages, classics, and the ancient world, as well as to general readers interested in the history of language and of early human societies.