In Search of the Indo-Europeans

work by Mallory

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June 29, 2026

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The work In Search of the Indo-Europeans by J.P. Mallory explores the origins and spread of the Proto-Indo-European language. While the exact homeland is debated, two primary hypotheses exist: Neolithic Anatolia, where the language spread with agriculture, or the Bronze Age Pontic-Caspian steppes, north of the Black and Caspian seas. This language family eventually diverged into numerous branches, including Anatolian, Indo-Iranian, Greek, Italic, Celtic, Germanic, Tocharian, Armenian, Albanian, and Balto-Slavic. The study of these early periods relies heavily on archaeological evidence and linguistic reconstruction.1234

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Indo-European languages
The divergence of Indo-European languages
Mallory (In Search of the Indo-Europeans [1989]) in locating the speakers of Proto-Indo-European among the populations of this region but not to attempt a more precise identification until further evidence is available. A radically different theory, according to which the Indo-European spread began in Asia Minor…
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Mallory (In Search of the Indo-Europeans [1989]) in locating the speakers of Proto-Indo-European among the populations of this region but not to attempt a more precise identification until further evidence is available. A radically different theory, according to which the Indo-European spread began in Asia Minor…
Read More