2005/04/01 by Denis Sinor · 43 citations
Social Sciences · Arts and Humanities · #Eurasian Exchange Networks #Linguistics and Cultural Studies #Linguistics and language evolution #Historiography #Indigenous #History #Literature #Linguistics #Geography #Archaeology #Philosophy #Art
paper · doi:10.1556/aorient.58.2005.1.1
published in Acta Orientalia 58(1), 3-14 (Akadémiai Kiadó)
openalex publication_date 2005/04/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
The first part of this essay deals with the difficulties created by the rarity of indigenous, written sources and the multiplicity of languages used in external sources. The ethnonyms and administrative terms these contain cannot be relied upon to determine the language spoken by a given people. Archaeological data are seldom convertible into historical terms. The second part examines the characteristic features of Central Eurasia as a historical entity. Emphasis is given to pastoral nomadism and its application to warfare. The third part deals with the question of long-distance, quasi transcontinental migrations, a much abused, unjustified cliché.