Difference between revisions of "Aryans"
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In Sanskrit, the language of the Indian classics, ''Ārya'' means noble. The word is derived from ''Ariya'', a native name for Iran.<ref>"[https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/1.5127018 How 'Iran' and 'Aryan' Are Related]," ''Haartz''</ref> | In Sanskrit, the language of the Indian classics, ''Ārya'' means noble. The word is derived from ''Ariya'', a native name for Iran.<ref>"[https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/1.5127018 How 'Iran' and 'Aryan' Are Related]," ''Haartz''</ref> | ||
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| + | In modern usage, the word Aryan commonly refers to Nordic people, especially those with blonde hair and blue-eyes. This usage is somewhat removed from the historical and linguistic meaning of the term. It reflects the influence of Nazi "master race" ideology. | ||
==Linguistic group== | ==Linguistic group== | ||
A recent genetic study showed that the Brahmin caste, the highest Indian caste, is descended from the Yamnaya archaeological culture found north of the Black Sea.<ref>Daniyal, Shoaib, "[https://scroll.in/article/936872/two-new-genetic-studies-upheld-aryan-migration-theory-so-why-did-indian-media-report-the-opposite Two new genetic studies upheld Indo-Aryan migration. So why did Indian media report the opposite?]"</ref> The Yamnaya flourished from 3300–2600 BC. They are thought to have spoken Proto-Indo-European, the ancestral language of the Indo-European language family. | A recent genetic study showed that the Brahmin caste, the highest Indian caste, is descended from the Yamnaya archaeological culture found north of the Black Sea.<ref>Daniyal, Shoaib, "[https://scroll.in/article/936872/two-new-genetic-studies-upheld-aryan-migration-theory-so-why-did-indian-media-report-the-opposite Two new genetic studies upheld Indo-Aryan migration. So why did Indian media report the opposite?]"</ref> The Yamnaya flourished from 3300–2600 BC. They are thought to have spoken Proto-Indo-European, the ancestral language of the Indo-European language family. | ||
| − | The Yamnaya were pastoralists who conquered various farming peoples of eastern Europe. They slaughtered the men of the farming communities and mated with the women. This resulted in the creation of the Corded Ware culture, which lasted from 2900 – 2350 BC. The two cultures are easily distinguished archeologically because the Yamnaya entombed their dead in mounds while the Corded Ware people dug pits. | + | The Yamnaya were pastoralists who conquered various farming peoples of eastern Europe. They slaughtered the men of the farming communities and mated with the women. This resulted in the creation of the Corded Ware culture, which lasted from 2900 – 2350 BC. |
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| + | The two cultures are easily distinguished archeologically because the Yamnaya entombed their dead in mounds while the Corded Ware people dug pits. Reconstructions based on skeletal remains suggest that the Yamnaya had black hair and olive skin, like modern southern Europeans. The Corded Ware people had blonde hair and other Aryan features. That is to say, these features are a result of intermarriage between the Yamnaya and the Neolithic farming community. | ||
Corded Ware culture spread widely, causing Proto-Indo-European to fracture into proto-Germanic, proto-Baltic, and other ancestral languages. The easternmost branch of the Corded Ware culture became the Andronova culture, an archaeological culture of the central Asian steppe. This group is thought to have spoken proto-Indo-Aryan and entered India by way of the Inner Asian Mountain Corridor. Indo-Aryan is a family of languages spoken in Iran and India. | Corded Ware culture spread widely, causing Proto-Indo-European to fracture into proto-Germanic, proto-Baltic, and other ancestral languages. The easternmost branch of the Corded Ware culture became the Andronova culture, an archaeological culture of the central Asian steppe. This group is thought to have spoken proto-Indo-Aryan and entered India by way of the Inner Asian Mountain Corridor. Indo-Aryan is a family of languages spoken in Iran and India. | ||
==A master race?== | ==A master race?== | ||
| − | + | An Aryan master race theory was developed by French author [[Joseph Arthur de Gobineau]] in the 19th century. Alfred Rosenberg, the Nazi Party's chief racial theorist, constructed racial "ladder" with black and Jews at the bottom and Nordics at the top. As a result of this theory, the word Aryan commonly refers to Nordic people, especially those with blonde hair and blue-eyes. | |
| − | + | Due to the association with Nazi ideology, the word Aryan has slipped into disfavor. The term Aryan has also been used by [[Adolf Hitler]] and numerous other [[racialism|racialists]] to refer to what they believe to be the superior race of white, Nordic Europeans. | |
==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 07:35, April 17, 2021
The Aryans, Sanskrit Ārya, were a group who invaded India from the north around 1500 BC as recorded in the Rigveda, the earliest Indian literary work.
In Sanskrit, the language of the Indian classics, Ārya means noble. The word is derived from Ariya, a native name for Iran.[1]
In modern usage, the word Aryan commonly refers to Nordic people, especially those with blonde hair and blue-eyes. This usage is somewhat removed from the historical and linguistic meaning of the term. It reflects the influence of Nazi "master race" ideology.
Linguistic group
A recent genetic study showed that the Brahmin caste, the highest Indian caste, is descended from the Yamnaya archaeological culture found north of the Black Sea.[2] The Yamnaya flourished from 3300–2600 BC. They are thought to have spoken Proto-Indo-European, the ancestral language of the Indo-European language family.
The Yamnaya were pastoralists who conquered various farming peoples of eastern Europe. They slaughtered the men of the farming communities and mated with the women. This resulted in the creation of the Corded Ware culture, which lasted from 2900 – 2350 BC.
The two cultures are easily distinguished archeologically because the Yamnaya entombed their dead in mounds while the Corded Ware people dug pits. Reconstructions based on skeletal remains suggest that the Yamnaya had black hair and olive skin, like modern southern Europeans. The Corded Ware people had blonde hair and other Aryan features. That is to say, these features are a result of intermarriage between the Yamnaya and the Neolithic farming community.
Corded Ware culture spread widely, causing Proto-Indo-European to fracture into proto-Germanic, proto-Baltic, and other ancestral languages. The easternmost branch of the Corded Ware culture became the Andronova culture, an archaeological culture of the central Asian steppe. This group is thought to have spoken proto-Indo-Aryan and entered India by way of the Inner Asian Mountain Corridor. Indo-Aryan is a family of languages spoken in Iran and India.
A master race?
An Aryan master race theory was developed by French author Joseph Arthur de Gobineau in the 19th century. Alfred Rosenberg, the Nazi Party's chief racial theorist, constructed racial "ladder" with black and Jews at the bottom and Nordics at the top. As a result of this theory, the word Aryan commonly refers to Nordic people, especially those with blonde hair and blue-eyes.
Due to the association with Nazi ideology, the word Aryan has slipped into disfavor. The term Aryan has also been used by Adolf Hitler and numerous other racialists to refer to what they believe to be the superior race of white, Nordic Europeans.
