Re: [tied] Kurd and Indo-European

From: Steve Woodson

Sometime back, 6 months or so, I was scanning web sites on Indo-Iranian.  One of the articles I read was about a people that the Greeks were in contact with, living in the South Caucasus along the Black Sea.  Their names are clearly Indic and not Iranian.  I believe they were in writings by Herodotus.  Unfortunately I lost where I read this and haven't been able to relocate it.  Do you have any information on these people?  It seemed to be a well established state.
Thanks,
Steve

So far as I know, the Greeks don't come into contact with a specifically Iranian-speaking state until rather late, specifically Persians and Scythians.

 

The Mitanni were Hurrian-speaking (Hurrian is definitely non-IE). Their kingdom was in the South Caucusus/Kurdistan. Documentary evidence (treaties, contracts and the such) demonstrate a clear Indic superstratum. The picture seems to be of a previous, war-chariot driving elite which imposed itself. The evidence is personal names and the names of gods.

 

There is the famous horse training manual. This is in Hurrian, but certain of the technical terms for training the horses are Indic.

 

It is not improbable that some chariot-riding Indic-speakers made it all the way to the Mediterranean during the time of the Sea People, but these would not have left any real evidence.

 

Mark.