Odp: Urheimat

----- Original Message -----

From: Gerry Reinhart-Waller

To: cybalist@egroups.com

Sent: Friday, February 25, 2000 7:40 PM

Subject: [cybalist] Urheimat

Alexander, the information on Urheimat is most confusing. Gamkrelidze and Ivanov place the homeland south of the Caucasus and north of Mesopotamia. Renfrew places it in Anatolia and links it with agriculture. I'm aware that Gimbutas and Mallory place it in the north Pontic steppes and (?likely link it with horses). You say Piotr claims it's located in North Pannonia (Hungary and Czechia) but in a post from Piotr today he seems to be in agreement with Gimbutas and Mallory. BTW, Piotr, why did you place it in North Pannonia and then change your mind and place the Urheimat on the Pontic steppes? The steppes seem to be a logical place and I think Alekseev was hinting at a steppe location.  And linking it with horses seems faster than linking it with agriculture. But Piotr, why does Alexander claim you are placing it in North Pannonia (Hungary and Czechia)? And to what do you link it with? No, Gerry, I haven't changed my mind. I was just doing my best to answer your question objectively, without any pro-Danubian propaganda, though that's indeed the location I favour. The Kurgan theory is still the majority view among Indo-Europeanists, so I mentioned it in the first place. I'm going to elucidate my dissident position soon in response to Mark's posting on "Danubian Urheimat". BTW, I don't think the IEs (as a speech community) were "linked" with anything -- other than loosely and more or less accidentally. Languages are not necessarily tied to archaeological cultures, ways of living and types of husbandry, or to horses, for that matter.   Piotr