cas111:
>Not that I'm trying to champion a Uralic identity for the Mesolithic
>Baltic, but while the Finns are recognized to have arrived later,
>this does not preclude the possibility they arrived in a Uralic-
>or 'Uraloid' - speaking area. As I recall, the pitted ware culture of
>the area shows a long tradition that is related to a broader horizon
>reaching eastwards beyond the Baltic across northern Russia to the
>Urals.
A broader horizon... Is this related to John Croft's mention of the
Swiderian culture. I remember there being an early culture
spreading from the Baltic area towards Europe's north but I thought
this was exceedingly early for it to be identified with the Uralic
speaking population. Keep in mind that Uralic and Yukaghir are
seriously being considered as related. Yukaghir is further to the
east and north, which suggests that a Proto-UralicYukaghir
language would either be in the same general location as Uralic, or
further to the _east_ circa 5000 BCE. Therefore, a migration from
the Urals to Europe by Uralic-speaking peoples could not take
place until 4000 BCE (the date of Common Uralic) and even then,
because of the interaction of FinnoUgric with IndoIranian, we have
severe problems with this idea unless we want to employ the
Samoyeds to this theory.
(Oh, and I promise not to mention any connection between
Swiderians, the Yeneseian and the original non-IE postglacial
languages of North Europe for fear you may think me mad...)
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