Chariots and Ships

[Michael Witzel]

S. Farmer suggested:
>bedtime reading M. Sparreboom's _Chariots of the Veda_
>(1985), which copiously discusses the iconographical, archaeological, and
>textual evidence?

SUBRAHMANYA:
> I have the book with me.
>Could you please point  me where there is evidence of the war chatiot ?

* Why doesn't he read the book himself?

* Second, he would have to check on all passages in the Rgveda dealing with
chariots. There are word indexes of the RV: Hermann Grassmann's,
Vishvabandhu's...
Look for ratha, ratheSTha,  and compare cakra, vaaja, etc.

>>Indology that exists today is completely
rigged. That is why Wizl. can get away with his loony ideas about
war chariot nonsense,

Oh netiquette....  Which one of my many aatmans (acc. to Rajaram) are you
talking about? In your last posts you seem to make a deliberate effort to
distinguish between them by different spellings. But you would have to give
us the key which spelling refers to which aatman.   --
Then, which nonsense, pray? Read all of the RV first, then come back with
details.

*His third job would be to check on the closely related Avestan texts: look
for ratha, rathI, rathaESta (Vedic ratheSTha).  Then you would have
Indo-Iranian chariots.

* His fourth job would be to check out the early Hittite, Greek, Latin,
Celtic  evidence. Please let us know what that is, and also the words for
chariot in these languages. And the consequences for IE reconstructions.

When you have done so, Subrahmanya,  let us know the results of your
comprehensive investigation.

ONLY AFTER you have done this, you may (perhaps) proclaim:

>>There is no evidence of any Indo European "war chariot" anywhere except
in the fevered brains of entrenched eurocentic academics.
If at all Indo-European is a language family - how in the world
can one identify a so called "war chariot" based on a language
family ?  <<

Euro-centric, again? Ever heard of the many non-European, non-"Caucasian"
linguists and philologists?

Next job: show that IE is NOT  a language family!
And, FYI:  Language families have a well defined vocabulary. No word for
objects without  an object, exc. in mythology. Then, show that ratha etc.
are just that - mythology.  Amar Chitra Katha.  Such as the Sintastha or
Oxus chariots?

Enough homework?  Just for two short paras of yours. --

If you do *not* do this background check,  you have to be content to be
called a propagandist, at best,  plus many other things...

***

The matter however, is a little more complicated than our budding
philologist and archaeologist Subrahmanya assumes:

"The intimate linkage between Proto-Indo-European and the
horse and the chariot is a myth". pg 51 - Wagon, Chariot and Carriage -
Stuart Piggott

* SuB.  should also let us know why.  (And when the 2-wheeled spoked,
horse-drawn chariot was first used, and by whom).

Since he won't be able to do all of the above, a HINT: results in
forthcoming EJVS 7-3, due within the month.  Look up  section 14.

In the meantime I suggest to Subrahmanya:

stop broadcasting invectives such as those above and do your homework!
Then come back.   How does the 'other list'  call his technique: spit and
run....

========================================================
Michael Witzel
Department of Sanskrit & Indian Studies, Harvard University
2 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge MA 02138, USA

ph. 1- 617-496 2990 (also messages)
home page:  http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~witzel/mwpage.htm

Elect. Journ. of Vedic Studies:  http://www1.shore.net/~india/ejvs