Introduction

This book examines the impact of ancient DNA research and scientific evidence on our understanding of the emergence of Indo-European languages in prehistory. Offering cutting-edge contributions from an international team of scholars, it considers the driving forces behind the Indo-European migrations during the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC.

The Yamnaya Culture

The volume explores the rise of the world's first pastoral nomads, the Yamnaya Culture, in the Russian Pontic steppe including their social organization, expansions, and the transition from nomadism to semi-sedentism when entering Europe.

Bronze Age Expansion

It also traces the chariot conquest in the late Bronze Age and its impact on the expansion of the Indo-Iranian languages into Central Asia.

Societies and Slavery

In the final section, the volumes consider the development of hierarchical societies and the origins of slavery.

Interdisciplinary Research

A landmark synthesis of recent, exciting discoveries, the book also includes an extensive theoretical discussion regarding the integration of linguistics, genetics, and archaeology, and the importance of interdisciplinary research in the study of ancient migration.