Re: Kurgan Dates and Places

<<GK: Yes he does point out that the Yamna(ya) c.
in his area of interest is not autochtonous. Be aware,
however, that the Repinska(ya) culture did not
originate in the "North Sub-Caspian" or, as you state
later with "points east". It spread to the Sub-Caspian
FROM THE WEST,...>>

But I can only assume that Turetskyi brought up "North Sub-Caspian" for a
reason.

Turetskyi did not say that Repinskaya and Yamnaya were of the same culture,
he said materials from Repinskaya sites in the North Sub-Caspian and Yamnaya
materials should be interpreted as being from the same culture.

The impression he certainly leaves is that the appearance of the earliest
sparse Yamnaya sites in Samara are connected to the North Sub-Caspian. So, on
its face and without interpretation the report seems to be that the
"non-native" Yamnaya came from that region, i.e., points east. If he meant
something else, the "North Sub-Caspian" comparison is not just superfluous,
it's misleading.

For me, this just reinforces the question of whether any linguistic
conclusions are justified by any early dating of "Yamnaya" sites. The 3500BC
first date you mention reflect an "early" culture that doesn't even show
evidence of metals. If the wheel, chariots or domesticated horse evidence
are relevant, Turetskyi certainly doesn't mention them in this abstract.

Here's the quote:
"Material of Repinskaya culture from sites of North Sub-Caspian and funeral
complexes of Yamnaya culture of north-steppe Samara Trans-Volga can be with
great degree of confidence interpreted AS OF THE SAME CULTURE. (my caps)

"This resemblance is revealed by typological proximity of ceramics,
settlement and funeral sites. It is the clearest indicator of belonging to
the early stage of Yamnaya culture.

""There are no metal tools in numerous interments of this period. Scanty
number of early Yamnaya burials means that Yamnaya tribes in the Middle-Volga
region are not native. ... Predominant part of Yamnaya funerals of Samara
Trans-Volga belongs to the late stage."

Steve