Re: Dates of IE and A-A

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Etherman23" <etherman23@...> wrote:

>
> PIE has only a few words related to agriculture, domestication, and metals which, IMO, points to a late paleolithic/early neolithic date. So 7-8k BC seems reasonable.

What do we mean by "the date of PIE"? 7-8k BCE is much too early for the diaspora. If memory serves, Sherratt dates the appearance of (ritual?) ard-marks under European barrows to 3500, give or take a century. The diaspora must have followed the ard (i.e. light plough), *h2arh3-trom. This is what makes 3-4k BCE reasonable for the breakup of PIE.

Of course, if you belong to the Super Mario Brothers, there was no breakup, no diaspora, and everybody was polite to everybody else until Romulus slew Remus over a perceived insult.

DGK