Information AboutIndo-iranians |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT INDO-IRANIANS | |
| ancient peoples | |
| indo-iranian peoples | |
| history of india | |
| history of iran | |
| history of pakistan | |
| eurasian nomads | |
| eiec | |
| ethnic groups in india | |
| ethnic groups in iran | |
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The term Indo-Iranian includes all speakers of the Indo-Iranian Languages , i.e., Indo-Aryans , Iranians and the speakers of the Nuristani Languages . The historic term for these cultures is Aryan . ORIGIN The most commonly cited candidate for the homeland of the Proto-Indian-Iranian culture is the Andronovo Archaeological Complex . A commonly given date for the last period of Proto-Indo-Iranian linguistic unity is approximately 2000 BC , preceding both the Vedic and Iranian cultures. The earliest recorded forms of these languages, Vedic Sanskrit and Gathic Avestan , are remarkably similar, descended from the common ''' Proto-Indo-Iranian Language '''. The origin and earliest relationship between the Nuristani Languages and that of the Iranian and Indic groups is unrecoverably obscure. EXPANSION The Indo-Iranians expanded widely into Central Asia from the Ural River in the west to the Tian Shan in the east, taking over the area occupied by the earlier Afanasevo Culture , and defined by Transoxiana and the Hindu Kush (mountains) in the south. This region would later become for the most part exclusively Iranian. Their history becomes sensational with their invention of the horse-drawn Chariot . First wave in Russia is believed to have been constructed by Indo-Iranian tribes some 4000 years ago.]] See Also: Indo-Aryan migration The linguistic evidence is that the Indo-Iranians were the first to exploit the chariot, leading what is sometimes called the first wave of Indo-Iranian expansion. This expansion went into the Caucasus , the Iranian plateau, Afganistan, and, most significantly, India. They also intruded into Mesopotamia and Syria , and introduced the horse and chariot culture to this part of the world. They left linguistic remains in a Hittite discourse on horse-training written by one "Kikkuli the Mitanni". Other evidence is found in references to the names of Mitanni rulers and the gods they swore by in treaties; these remains are found in the archives of the Mitanni's neighbors. The time period for this is about 1440-1330 BCE. The standard model for the entry of the Indo-European languages into India is that this first wave went over the Hindu Kush, either into the headwaters of the Indus or the Ganges (and probably, both). The earliest stratum of Vedic Sanskrit , preserved only in the Rigveda , is assigned to roughly 1700-1400 BCE. From the Indus , the Indo-Aryan Languages spread with the migrants, who from (c 1500 BCE -c 500BCE ), were able to spread over the northeren and central parts of the subcontinent, failing to reach the extreme south. The Aryans in these areas established several powereful kingdoms and principalities in the region, from eastern Afghanistan to the doorstep of Bengal . The most powerful of these kingdoms was Magadha , which lasted until the 4th Century BCE , when it was conquered by Chandragupta Maurya and annexed into the Mauryan Empire . In eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan , whatever Indo-Aryan dialects that were spoken there were eventually pushed out by the dominating Iranian languages. Most Indo-Aryan languages, however, were and still are concentrated in the Indian Subcontinent . Today, Indo-Aryan Languages are spoken in India , Pakistan , Bangladesh , Nepal , Sri Lanka and the Maldives . Second wave The Second Wave is interpreted as the Iranian wave. The Iranians would take over all of Central Asia, Iran, and for a considerable period, dominate the European steppe (the modern Ukraine ) and intrude north into Russia and west into central and western Europe well into historic times and as late as the Common Era. The first Iranians to reach the Black Sea may have been the Cimmerians in the 8th Century BCE , although their linguistic affiliation is uncertain. They were followed by the Scythians , who are considered a western branch of the Central Asian Saka s. The Rigvedic Kambojas may correspond to the Nuristani branch of Indo-Iranian. The Medes , Parthians and Persians begin to appear on the Persian Plateau from ca. 800 BCE , and the Achaemenid s replaced Elamite rule from 559 BCE . In Central Asia, the Turkic Languages and culture have replaced Iranian, but a substantial minority remains in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan . The Iranian languages are now confined to Iran , Kurdistan , Afganistan , western Pakistan , Tajikistan , Turkey and the Caucasus . ASSOCIATED ARCHAEOLOGICAL CULTURES These Archaeological Culture s are assigned to the Indo-Iranians: LANGUAGE See Also: Proto-Indo-Iranian language
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