Age of the Veda ...

[Jonathan Silk]

Although he will no doubt jump in himself to clarify this, Michael
Witzel has of course written quite a bit about this in exquisite
detail (I have just been reading some of it this morning). The dates
1500-1200 BCE for the composition (not final linguistic
redaction)--if I have understood rightly--of the earliest parts of
the RV seems well established.  I think it is incautious and
potentially misleading to toss around dates like 4500 BCE , as Fosse
has done, although he is rather careful to state that he does not
claim this as a date for all or even part of RV. Not all his readers
may be so careful.


Jonathan Silk

jonathan.silk at yale.edu

Dept. of Religious Studies
320 Temple St.
New Haven CT 06520

tel. 203-432-0828