Sunday, August 18, 2013

The Horse, the Wheel and Language by David W. Anthony

The flap of the book describes it as "Linking prehistoric archaeological remains with the development of language, David Anthony identifies the prehistoric peoples of central Eurasia's steppe grasslands at the original speakers of Proto-Indo-European, and show how their innovative use of the ox wagon, horseback riding, and the warrior's chariot turned the Eurasian steppes into a thriving transcontinental corridor of communication, commerce, and cultural exchange." If you're a fan of academic writing then you'll probably enjoy The Horse, the Wheel and Language:  How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes shaped the Modern World.  It won the society for American Archaeology’s 2010  Book Award.

There is no doubt that the information contained with this work is valuable but it is a tough read for the average reader.

Some pieces of interest to horse people are:

The comparison of cheek pieces from various burial sites show when more rapid and precise carriage driving evolved.  

The study of organic bits vs iron bits via the wear patterns on horse's teeth. 

If you're interested in the subject of language movement but can't handle the entire book then I recommend skipping to Chapter 17.  This chapter nicely sums up the book.  The reference section is also very valuable as you can find additional resources that may be easier for the reader to digest.