Customer Reviews

Indo-European Origins: The Anthropological Evidence

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an ambitious and unusual book. The author has set himself the task of collecting and summarizing 200 years worth of research on the Indo-European (IE) problem by scholars from diverse disciplines . . . . [A]n invaluable compendium for anyone interested in or researching the IE problem and I, for one, will certainly consult it in the future.
Prof. Robert R. Sokal (in the Quarterly Review of Biology)

This doctoral dissertation (Belfast 1999, supervised by J.P. Mallory), is an impressive book. Whether one takes it in hand with great expectations or rather reluctantly, it will soon be seen to be the product of an extremely patient, careful and persevering mind.
Prof. Stefan Zimmer (in The Journal of Indo-European Studies)

It is a truly remarkable and valuable piece of work. You have invested an enormous amount of energy in bringing together a vast amount of solid data. It is only through rigorous marshalling of the evidence (such as you have done in your book) that we can begin to know what really happened in the past. I salute you for your bravery, your determination, your exactitude, your thoroughness, and your impartiality.
Prof. Victor Mair (by email)

Diese überaus komplexe Arbeit basiert auf der einfachen Frage, wo denn das frühe Indoeuropäisch seinen geografischen Ursprung hat . . . . Für die Suche wird eine ganze Reihe von Wissenschaften und Arbeitsgebieten abgeklopft: Etymologie, alte Schriftquellen einschließlich Mythologie, Kunst, Hautleisten, Pigmentation, Schädel und Serologie.
Entsprechend gewaltig sind die Mengen an verwendeter Literatur. Das eindrucksvollste daran ist aber die breite Streuung: Sämtliche relevanten Wissenschaftssprachen sind vertreten. Man vergleiche das mal mit irgendeinem normalen Zeitschriftenartikel oder irgendeiner durchschnittlichen Monografie! In einer Zeit der geistigen Enge, der linguistischen Scheuklappen und der technischen Nachlässigkeit in der Wissenschaft fällt dies Buch sehr auf. Und wohlweislich: Kreuzprüfungen zeigen, dass die Quellen tatsächlich inhaltlich ausgewertet wurden und nicht nur schematisch-quantitativ verdatet.
Das große Inventar an Denkmöglichkeiten und Befunden zu Wanderung, Beziehung und Ähnlichkeit in Europa zwischen Spätpaläolithikum und Bronzezeit wird hier in eine Serie klar formulierter Alternativhypothesen gefasst. Und das ist das nächste Eindrucksvolle dieser Arbeit: Das klare Durchdenken des bisherigen Gestüpps.
Für die älteren bevölkerungsgeschichtlichen Fragen in Europa ist dies eine Scharnierarbeit, sie teilt in davor und danach, denn sie behandelt nicht nur jene einfache Grundfragestellung, sondern vieles Weitere, und das mit einer überzeugenden Zielgerichtetheit und Datenbasis.
Prof. Friedrich Rösing (in Homo)

A comprehensive survey of the evidence from biological anthropology for Indo-European origins, based on the author's Ph.D. thesis prepared under Professor James Mallory. The author first considers the various ways that languages can spread and the possible biological implications of these expansions. He then embarks on an exhaustive survey of over 2,600 books and articles relating to the physical anthropology of the earliest identified speakers of Indo-European languages, based on ancient texts, artworks and lexicons. Covering Europe and Asia from the Neolithic onwards, His study surveys dermatoglyphics, mummified corpses, skeletal remains and genetic material for evidence of ancient population movements. An attempt is then made to integrate findings from biological anthropology with data from linguistics, archaeology and social anthropology to test the validity of migration theories in relation to the dispersal of the Indo-European languages and the possible location of a hypothecated proto-Indo-European language. The bibliography lists over 2,600 books and articles.

A fascinating look at the racial origins of the prehistoric Indo-European peoples. They were the ancestors -- linguistically and maybe also genetically -- of the ancient Greeks, Romans, Indians, Iranians, Celts and Germans, and so they were immensely important in the history of our planet. John V. Day pieces together evidence from ancient writings, from genetics and from skeleons to locate these original Indo-Europeans. Controversially, he argues that they tended to have light-colored hair and eyes, and so the early Roman emperors, for example, mostly had blue eyes. There were even blue-eyed people in ancient China and blonds in ancient India! The book has to be read a few pages at a time, it's so concentrated. All in all, an extremely impressive work!

A fascinating look at the racial origins of the prehistoric Indo-European peoples. They were the ancestors -- linguistically and maybe also genetically -- of the ancient Greeks, Romans, Indians, Iranians, Celts and Germans, and so they were immensely important in the history of our planet. John V. Day pieces together evidence from ancient writings, from genetics and from skeleons to locate these original Indo-Europeans. Controversially, he argues that they tended to have light-colored hair and eyes, and so the early Roman emperors, for example, mostly had blue eyes. There were even blue-eyed people in ancient China and blonds in ancient India! The book has to be read a few pages at a time, it's so concentrated. All in all, an extremely impressive work!