neoliitikhüpotees

The neolithic hypothesis is a theory that proposes a connection between the spread of agriculture and the spread of Indo-European languages. This hypothesis suggests that as early farmers migrated across Europe and Asia during the Neolithic period, they brought their languages with them, which eventually replaced or assimilated existing languages.

Specifically, the neolithic hypothesis, often associated with archaeologist Colin Renfrew, posits that the Anatolian expansion of farming around 7000-6000 BCE led to the diffusion of Proto-Indo-European (PIE) and its daughter languages. As farming communities established themselves in new territories, their linguistic practices spread along with their agricultural techniques. This gradual expansion, driven by population growth and the need for new arable land, is seen as the primary mechanism for the dispersal of Indo-European tongues.

While the neolithic hypothesis offers a compelling narrative for the origins and spread of Indo-European languages, it is not without its critics and alternative theories. The Kurgan hypothesis, for instance, links the spread of Indo-European languages to the expansion of nomadic horse-riding peoples from the Pontic-Caspian steppe during the Bronze Age. Linguistic evidence, archaeological findings, and genetic studies continue to be debated and analyzed in the ongoing effort to unravel the complex history of Indo-European language families. The neolithic hypothesis remains a significant contribution to this discussion, highlighting the profound impact of agricultural diffusion on human settlement and linguistic diversity.