2017/07/28 by Leo S. Klejn, Wolfgang Haak, Iosif Lazaridis +7 · 2 citations
Arts and Humanities · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Linguistics and language evolution #Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies #Forensic and Genetic Research #History #Steppe #Inference #Ethnology #Genealogy #Epistemology #Philosophy #Archaeology
paper · doi:10.1017/eaa.2017.35
openalex publication_date 2017/07/28 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Two co-authored articles in Nature (Haak et al., 2015; Allentoft et al., 2015) caused a sensation. They revealed genetically the mass migration of steppe Yamnaya culture people in the Early Bronze Age to central and northern Europe. The authors considered this event as the basis of the spread of Indo-European languages. In response, the Russian archaeologist, Leo S. Klejn, expresses critical remarks on the genetic inference, and in particular its implications for the problem of the origins of Indo-European languages. These remarks were shown to the authors and they present their objections. Klejn, however, has come to the conclusion that the authors’ objections do not assuage his doubts. He analyses these objections in a further response.