Sanskrit and PIE

[N. Ganesan]

Dr. S. Hodge wrote:
<<<
I allude especially to the dating of
Hittite materials.  I may be wrong, but my impression is that much of
Hittite dating relies on Egyptian chronology.  There are a number of
serious Egyptologists who believe that the conventional chronology
for Egypt is wrong in many respects -- often because the later
parallel dynasties were counted sequentially rather than
concurrently.   For a well-argued presentation see D. Rohl's "A
Test of Time" (Century 1995) who presents a detailed revised
Egyptian chronology. The main Egyptian rulers who had contact
with the Hittites, and whose dates are thus used for the Hittites,
were: Akhenaten (the Amarna letters)  conventionally c1300 BCE to
be revised to c980 BCE and Ramesses II (battle of Qadesh)
conventionally c1200 BCE to be revised to c930 BCE.

These dates fit events in neighbouring countries (Israel etc) better,
so if these revised dates hold good, then the linguistic status of
Hittite needs to be re-examined -- its likely origins then would
probably fall nearer to early Greek.
>>>

Interesting to see if this bringing forward of the dating of
Hittite materials holds true. Prof. Drews suggests a late date of
1750 BCE for the PIE breakup. While his theory of Anatolia as PIE
homeland is probably less likely, if the Hittite dates are late by
300 yrs. than usually assumed,  the PIE breakup date will move
forward too.

Indology archives, 20-10-98 thru' 10-11-98.
(Subject: 1) PIE breakup in ca. 1750 B.C., 2) method of dating RV III
3) Paired horse and PIE breakup).

Robert Drews, The coming of the Greeks: Indo-European conquests
in the Aegean and the Near East, Princeton University press, 1988.
page 197:

"An alternative picture is more likely. At the end of the third
millennium, the PIE-speaking community was no larger than the
Hurrian, the Sumerian, the Hattic, or the Proto-Anatolian and was
only a fraction the size of the Semitic. The PIE-speaking community
remained intact,  playing no significant historical role, until the
second quarter of the second millennium. In the late seventeenth or
early sixteenth century, individuals and then whole communities of
PIE speakers began leaving their native lands (probably in the lake
district of eastern Anatolia). None of these movements of PIE
speakers involved a population much larger than that
of one Mesopotamian city of the first rank. Nor were the movements
Wanderungen at all. The relocations - some of them apparently by sea-
were well planned and organized, and their leaders knew where they
were going and what they would do when they got there. The PIE
speakers' object in leaving their native lands was to take control
of societies that were vulnerable and that could profitably be
exploited."

Regards,
N. Ganesan


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