> More on the Catacomb culture:
<
http://www.kommersant.com/tree.asp?rubric=5&node=422&doc_id=-78>
"The nomadic Yamna are believed to have been the first inhabitants of
the Lower Volga region. They migrated with their herds throughout the
entire Lower Volga, but despite this, they were well acquainted with
metallurgy and made copper weapons, tools, and ornaments. Starting in
the 2nd millennium B.C., the Yamna culture gave way to the Catacomb
culture. The people of the Catacomb culture were skilled
metallurgists, which resulted in expanded production of copper tools
and weapons. They also kept flocks of sheep and herds of cattle and
horses, using the herds as a means of transportation. Between the 16th
and 18th centuries B.C., tribes of the Pokrovka (Srubnaya) culture of
the Urals and Middle Volga settled in the Volga region. As the climate
became drier around the beginning of the 1st millennium B.C., the
Srubnaya culture gradually died out and the population turned to
nomadic livestock herding."
http://www.circassiancanada.com/ing/02_adygey/04_culture/ad_epoch_of_bronze.htm
" Beginning from the second half of the 2nd millennium BC the tribes
of catacomb culture started moving to the Northern Caucasus. In
addition to the typical burial rite using the catacombs, which were
vertical wells connected by short horizontal corridors (dromos) with
the vault burial chambers, this culture is characterized by such
category of burial implements as a censer. These vessels in the form
of a cup on a cross-shaped base, which were decorated with an
intricate stamped ornament, were used for burning ritual incense.
Braziers made of parts of ceramic vessels were often used for the same
purpose."
http://var-and-evo.biol.uni.torun.pl/06_9.pdf
http://koenraadelst.voiceofdharma.com/articles/fascism/witzelmisattribute.html
"Staying behind in Ukraine for another millennium or so, before they
moved on to their respective destinations, the Proto-Greco-Armenians
developed the Catacomb Grave culture, while their eastern neighbours
in the Poltavka culture became the Proto-Aryans, or more
unambiguously, the Proto-Indo-Iranians. The Proto-Iranians retained
this region while the Proto-Aryans spread to the north to develop the
Abashevo culture before turning southeast on their dramatic migration
to the Andronovo culture of Siberia and Central Asia (1800-1500) and
thence to India."
"The only question is whether this scenario is indeed the correct one.
After all, there is a gap of more than 5000 years between the Samara
culture and the first attestation of a known language in the region
through written documents. And the migration from Central Asia into
India, implied in this theory, has left no traces identifiable as such
by B.B. Lal, Jim Shaffer and Diane Lichtenstein, specialized
archaeologists contributing to this volume (Elst, Oct 19, 2005)."
posted by M. Kelkar
http://www.drummingnet.com/alekseev/ChapterVIIPart2.html
"No language is known for these (catacomb) people, but possibly the
Catacomb Grave People like their ancestors the Pit Grave People spoke
Iranian. The Catacomb Grave Culture dates to the first part of the
second millennium BC."