Horse

[Koenraad Elst]

Seems I ought to join Herr Witzel's fan club.  I never studied the BMAC
(well, the one whose writings I did study was the Babri Masjid Action
Committee), except for some much-discussed BMAC data on soma and fire
temples.  Stupid me, I never questioned the widespread assumption that it
was a "horse-centred" culture, implied in Bernard Sergent's thesis that the
BMAC was the Indo-Iranians poised to invade India.  But now I read:
     Michael Witzel <witzel at FAS.HARVARD.EDU>
    Aan: <INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK>
    Verzonden: zaterdag 11 maart 2000 5:56
    Onderwerp: Re: Elst's review of Kochhar's Vedic People
saying:

> Sorry, no horses there, so far. So, no horse
> riding/chariot riding BMAC Aryans.

If that were true, it would change the picture concerning the horse evidence
completely.  If the absence of horses in the BMAC doesn't disprove its being
Aryan, the near-absence of horses in Harappa need not disprove its being
Aryan either.

Koenraad Elst