Chariots and horses (Kuz’mina and Mair 2008)

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Kuz'mina Mair 2008.pdf and Kuz'mina Mair horses 2008.pdf in the files

section.

" According to most researchers subscribing to Childe's single-center

hypothesis (Childe 1951; 1954) for food production, wheeled transport

was invented in the late fourth millennium B.C. in Western Asia and

in the course of the third millennium B.C. spread from there to the

areas of the second-order civilizations: to the Caucasus to Northwest

Hindustan to Southeastern Europe and to the Southern Russian Steppe

(Kuz'mina and Mair 2008, p. 35). "

" In Northwest Hindustan wheeled transport appeared in the latter half

of the third millennium B.C. documented by discoveries in the

Harrapan settlements of clay and bronze models of two-wheeled

vehicles and also of clay wheels and figures of draft cattle

(Kuz'mina and Mair 2008 p. 35-36). "

Comment: If wheeled transport appeared in northwest " Hindustan "

shortly after its invention in western Asia then it could not have

been responsible for the spread of " Indo-Aryan " languages from north

of South Asia. Dingy old carts from Sintashta are grandiosely

labeled as " war chariots " (Kohl 2007). The authors neglect to

mention presence of horse bones in South Asia and the Near East.

Tocharian Chinese contacts are compatible with an Indian homeland

scenario (Talageri 2009).

Kuzmina, E.E (2008). The prehistory of the silk road. Encounters

with Asia, Victor H. Mair (series editor). Philadelphia: University

of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN-13: 978-08122-4041-2 (Hardcover).

M. Kelkar