The Horse, the Wheel, and Language. How Bronze Age Horsemen of the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World
Author: Дэвид Энтони
Printhouse: VYSShAIa ShKOLA EKONOMIKI
Series: Cultural Studies
Age restrictions: 16+
Year of publication: 2023
ISBN: 9785759825487
Number of pages: 672
Size: 240x140x20 mm
Cover type: hard
Weight: 1041 g
ID: 1740854
About half of the world's population speaks languages that trace their origins back to a common ancestor—the Proto-Indo-European language. But who were the speakers of this ancient dialect and how did they manage to spread across the globe? Until recently, their identity remained a mystery for linguists and archaeologists. The book 'The Horse, the Wheel, and Language' tells how the domestication of the horse and the use of the wheel by the first Indo-Europeans facilitated the spread of their language and transformed civilization.
By linking archaeological finds with the development of language, David Anthony claims that the speakers of Proto-Indo-European were steppe tribes of ancient Central Eurasia, whose innovations in the use of ox-drawn carts, horseback riding, and battle chariots turned the Eurasian steppe into a thriving transcontinental corridor of trade and cultural exchange. He explains how the steppe dwellers spread their traditions and achieved significant advancements in copper mining, warfare, and the formation of political clientage institutions.
'The Horse, the Wheel, and Language' solves the riddle of the origins of the Indo-European languages, which has troubled scholars for two centuries, and reconstructs a vibrant and influential civilization of antiquity.
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