‘This is scholarship at its very best. A brilliant book in every respect' Barry Cunliffe A lifetime’s study brings an authoritative perspective to one of the great unknowns in human history - the origin and language of the Indo-Europeans. Today the number of native speakers of Indo-European languages across the world is reckoned to be over 2.6 billion or about 45% of the earth’s population. Yet the idea that an ancient, prehistoric population in one time and place gave rise to our own family of people and language is one with a long and troubled past. In this expansive investigation, based on over 50 years of research, J. P. Mallory navigates the complex history of our search for the Indo-European homeland, offering fresh insight into the debates surrounding their origin as well as the latest genetic research. In this compelling account, Mallory explores ancient migrations, linguistics and archaeology, applying cutting edge-genetic research to untangle the key arguments with wit and
