--- "Gerry <
waluk@...>"
<
waluk@...> wrote:
> Your comparison of the Mallory/Renfrew "origins of
> language" is most
> enlightening. You claim that Renfrew sees language
> spreading based
> on the development of agriculture. You also state
> that Mallory bases
> his "spread of IE" on the monopoly of the horse.
>
> What we actually are dealing with is the same time
> period with BOTH
> farm populations vs. nomadic tribes. Both were
> instrumental in the
> development and acquisition of linguistic elements.
> Both heralded a
> rich culture and exciting folk lore. Did one group
> or the other
> produce a richer "culture"? My guess is that the
> nomadic tribes,
> because of their constant exposure to different
> cultural elements,
> artistically as well as technologically far
> surpassed the sedentary
> farmers.
>
> Cordially,
>
> Gerry
******GK: Note however that one can't really speak of
either firmly ensconced sedentary farming or genuine
nomadism in these very early time frames. One deals
with relatively mobile populations the basis of whose
economy is either agriculture + animal herding or
animal herding + agriculture (toss in the equally
mobile hunters/gatherers of the north). The groups
which Mallory (and others) associates with the spread
of IE were not "classical" nomads like the later
Scythians or Sarmatians. Just compare the
archaeological evidence of settlements like Dereivka
or Mykhajlivka, or Usatove with the "empty" steppes of
Pecheneg or Polovtsian (Cuman) times to see the
difference. International trade networks exposed all
populations to various "new" things, and one can't
really argue that e.g. the LBK groups were
significantly less touched by this than Serednyj Stih
or Yamna. I further suspect that the notion of
peaceful agricultural spread over Europe suggested by
Renfrew is just as mythical as the earlier story of
club wielding horse-riding golden haired
conquistadors. The "peaceful cowpokes" moving in from
the south into areas inhabited by "indians" didn't win
their lands by merry songs. And they were eventually
stopped, by "indians" who adopted some of their ways,
or developed defense technologies strong enough to
withstand them.=== Some of these issues have been
discussed extensively before. Take a look at the
cybalist archives.*******
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