Re: Indo-Aryans outside of India

From: tgpedersen
Message: 53609
Date: 2008-02-18

> > > For Hellenistic times, Oleg N. Trubachev (1999;
> > > elaborating on a hypothesis by Kretschmer 1944)
> > > suggests that there were Indo-Aryan speakers in the
> > > Pontic steppe. The Maeotes and the Sindes, the latter
> > > also known as "Indoi" and described by Hesychius as an
> > > "an Indian people".[7]
> >
> > Oops! If the presence of Indo-Aryan type words in the Pontic
> > steppe is proof positive that the Indo-Aryans came to India
> > from there, and not the logically possible other way round, how
> > come Hesychius calls the peoples in the Pontic steppe, who use
> > those words, 'Indian'? Because some of their relatives in the past
> > had gone to India? Or...?

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Rick McCallister <gabaroo6958@...> wrote:
>
> By Hesychius's time, Greeks et al. knew about India
> and would have been able to associate a
> Sanskrit-sounding language with India.
> The other alternative I can think of is if the
> Persians exiled a group of Indians there but I suppose
> there would have been a record of that.


Fever save. Just leaves a hunch that if the bad guy had attempted a
similar solution, it would be deemed unconvincing.


Torsten