Kurganhypothese

The Kurgan hypothesis, also known as the Kurgan theory, is a model for the origins and spread of the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) language family. Proposed by the Lithuanian-American archaeologist Marija Gimbutas in the mid-20th century, the theory derives its name from the kurgans, burial mounds built by steppe cultures. It locates the original homeland of PIE in the Pontic-Caspian steppe (roughly present-day Ukraine and southern Russia) and places the emergence of PIE in the late Neolithic to early Bronze Age, around the fourth to third millennia BCE.

Central to the hypothesis is the idea that PIE spread through a series of migrations and cultural turnovers conducted by pastoralist communities. The expansion is often associated with the Yamnaya and related steppe cultures, whose innovations—such as horse domestication and the use of wheeled vehicles—facilitated long-distance movement and contact with neighboring regions. As speakers migrated, their language purportedly replaced or mixed with others, giving rise to the various Indo-European branches.

Evidence cited in support includes archaeological patterns of steppe graves and material culture, reconstructions of PIE vocabulary related to livestock, wheeled transport, and kinship, and, in contemporary discussions, ancient DNA showing substantial genetic input from steppe populations into Europe during the relevant periods. It is also acknowledged that language spread does not map one-to-one with genetics or material culture.

The Kurgan hypothesis contrasts with the Anatolian hypothesis, which proposes an origin in Anatolia with farming-driven diffusion. Today, many scholars view PIE origins as best explained by steppe-associated processes, while recognizing ongoing debates and the possibility of multiple contributing sources.