The Horse the Wheel and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World

About this book

"A fascinating look into the origins of modern man."Publishers Weekly A book that solves the mystery of the people who spread the ancient mother tongue that gave us English and the other languages spoken by half of humanity today "Authoritative."New York Times "A masterpiece."Wilson Quarterly Roughly half the worlds population speaks languages derived from a shared linguistic source known as Proto-Indo-European. But who were the early speakers of this ancient mother tongue and how did they manage to spread it around the globe? Until now their identity has remained a tantalizing mystery to linguists archaeologists and even Nazis seeking the roots of the Aryan race. The Horse the Wheel and Language lifts the veil that has long shrouded these original Indo-European speakers and reveals how their domestication of horses and use of the wheel spread language and transformed civilization. Linking prehistoric archaeological remains with the development of language David Anthony identifies the prehistoric peoples of central Eurasias steppe grasslands as the original speakers of Proto-Indo-European and shows how their innovative use of the ox wagon horseback riding and the warriors chariot turned the Eurasian steppes into a thriving transcontinental corridor of communication commerce and cultural exchange. He explains how they spread their traditions and gave rise to important advances in copper mining warfare and patron-client political institutions thereby ushering in an era of vibrant social change. Anthony also describes his fascinating discovery of how the wear from bits on ancient horse teeth reveals the origins of horseback riding. The Horse the Wheel and Language solves a puzzle that has vexed scholars for two centuriesthe source of the Indo-European languages and Englishand recovers a magnificent and influential civilization from the past.