Kurgan hypothesis

The Kurgan hypothesis holds that Proto-Indo-European originated among pastoralists of the Pontic-Caspian steppe and spread through migrations beginning in the fifth or fourth millennium BCE.

Proto-Indo-European homeland: The region where Proto-Indo-European was spoken before its daughter languages dispersed. The hypothesis locates this homeland on the Pontic-Caspian steppe.
Indo-European migrations: Movements of populations associated with the spread of Indo-European languages across Eurasia. The hypothesis explains language expansion through steppe population movements.
Indo-Hittite hypothesis: A proposal that Indo-Anatolian separated from other Indo-European branches before Proto-Indo-European diversified. Its early chronology challenges timelines often associated with steppe dispersal.
Indo-European languages: A language family whose members descend from a reconstructed prehistoric ancestor. The hypothesis offers a geographic and migratory account of their spread.
Language shift: The process by which a population adopts a language different from one it previously spoke. Migration and ancestry do not prove which language newcomers or local communities used.
Pontic-Caspian steppe: A grassland region north of the Black and Caspian seas, extending from eastern Europe into western Asia. Its geography anchors the proposed homeland and migration routes.
Pastoralism: A livelihood based on raising and managing herds of domesticated animals. Herding economies could support mobility across the steppe.
Caucasus–Iranian hypothesis: A family of proposals locating Indo-European origins near the Caucasus or Iranian plateau. It assigns a possible homeland south of the steppe favored by the Kurgan model.
Corded Ware culture: A Late Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological complex spanning much of northern and central Europe. Its relationship to steppe ancestry became central to migration debates.
Indo-European languages in Anatolia: The ancient Anatolian branch of Indo-European, including Hittite and Luwian. Its early attestation constrains proposed dates and routes of dispersal.

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