Aryan invasion debate

[Samar Abbas]

On Sat, 4 Sep 1999, Koenraad Elst wrote:
> Sure, all Indians ... originated in Africa ... The whitish type must
> have developed or "appeared" in northwestern India in the same period
> as it did in Mesopotamia, which is in the same climate belt, long
> before the date assigned to the Aryan invasion.

It seems this is a new theory: A branch of Africans migrates to India,
then differentiates into the Caucasoid race IN NORTHWEST INDIA from the
Afro-Dravidian stock. This model would be consistent with Out of Africa
and the Afro-Dravidian connection, and is an interesting proposition.
While humans would be of African origin, the Aryans only would be Indian.
Is this what you are getting at ?

> I'll concede that Afro-Dravidian connection gladly... It makes no difference
> to the homeland question of IE.

That would only hold for the new OIT you have just proposed ( a
differentiation of Aryans from Dravidians in North India). For all other
variants of OIT and AIT it is highly crucial. However, the model you
proposed above, and the one you propose below are not in conflict with the
Afro-Dravidian connection :

> Indeed, one of many possibilities is that the Aryan-Dravidian encounter
> was one between Aryan natives and Dravidian invaders.

This is an intersting model, and would be internally consistent (does not
violate genetics, anthropology). There are two possibilities: either the
Dravidians invaded by sea from Africa and drove the Aryans north; or the
Dravidians invaded via Iran-Gujarat-Maharasthra and then settled in South
India, bypassing the main Aryan homelands of Punjab-Ganges Valley. Which
version do you favour ? Is there more evidence in favour of such a
`Dravidian' invasion ?

I think you have put forth some interesting theories in this posting,
indeed, they are the best OIT (Out of India) models I have seen to date.
However, I think they all need to be elaborated somewhat more. Consistency
also demands you choose either one of the `Aryan Differentiation from
Dravidians in NW India' or the `Dravidian Invasion Theory'.

Yours,
Samar