TIL The Yamnaya steppe horse culture of the Black and Caspian sea regions was a major driver of migrations into western Europe about 4,500 years ago. This migratory surge is now regarded as the most likely source of the vast family of Indo-European languages, spoken by half the world today. by whatilearned July 8, 2022, 10:56 am 12 Points Upvote Downvote
TIL that the Basque language is a “language isolate” – it seems to have no genetic relation to any other known language. It is thought to be the last surviving remnant of an ancient language family that existed in Western Europe before the arrival of the Indo-European languages from the East. by whatilearned January 13, 2022, 11:55 am 12 Points Upvote Downvote
1 Comment TIL Some fairy tales may as old as 6000 years, going back to Proto-Indo-European, the theorized common ancestor of all Indo-European languages. by whatilearned October 25, 2021, 1:01 pm 12 Points Upvote Downvote
4 Comments TIL about the Tarim mummies, a series of mummies discovered in the Tarim Basin in present-day Xinjiang, China. According to Victor H. Mair’s team, the Caucasoid mummies, presumed Tocharians, were likely speakers of Indo-European languages, with the oldest mummy being 3800 years old. by whatilearned September 17, 2021, 9:35 am 12 Points Upvote Downvote
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