2019-12-29
This is a great book if you want to learn more about the archaeology of the Proto-Indo-Europeans on the Russian Steppes. Disappointingly, the title is misleading as it covers almost nothing about the spread of Indo-Europeans outside of the steppes.
The book starts well enough with an exploration of Proto-Indo-European as a language – what we know, and what we can learn from it. But then it soon falls into a repetitive pattern of archaeological reports for the large number of identified cultures in the steppes over a couple of thousand years. After a while this really begins to drag.
Perhaps more disturbingly, Anthony seems so desperate to prove his own ideas he thinks nothing of backhanding the giants of archaeology who came before him, not least Marija Gimbutas, who was singularly responsible for identifying where the Proto-Indo-Europeans originated. Anthony also repeatedly takes swipes at other archaeologists, sometimes in a way that seems a little too personal.
However, the value of this book comes from the steppe archaeology itself, and no doubt will prove of keen interest for further research. This also means this book is likely to disappoint and even bore the casual reader simply looking for a general overview of who the Proto-Indo-Europeans were and how they “shaped the modern world”.
There’s also the important caveat that genetic studies published after this book show that the spread of Proto-Indo-European languages was far more violent and deadly than Anthony tries to argue. He also seems unaware of Cunliffe’s argument that the Proto-Celtic branch travelled to Western Europe through the Mediterranean.
So, overall, a potentially useful text for interested archaeologists – hence 4 stars – but not for general readers.
Rating: 4/5