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nucleareaction's review
4.0
Because of its easy approach to the subject, I never felt bogged down by the drabness of the topic at hand. Makes me wish I had studied linguistics a bit more at university.
spacestationtrustfund's review
3.0
Several decades old at this point, J.P. Mallory's book about Indo-Europeans still serves its purpose as a scholarly reference source, although I wouldn't recommend it as an introductory text.
ciannait76's review
5.0
This is the third time that I read this book since I bought it last year. Every time I read it I discover something new. Its an amazing book for anyone interested in the Indo-Europeans.
The book is written from the point of view of an archeologist who has knowledge of historical linguistic methods. For dating the author uses dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating. He tells the story of how the Indo-Europeans where discovered, and then takes you on a journey to find out who are they in Asia, and who are they in Europe. The book also discusses an overview of Proto-Indo-European culture and an overview of Indo-European religion. Then the author gives you the theories of the Indo-European homeland and the problems associated with each theory and gives HIS most like homeland based on his thoughts and discussions.
What makes this book different is that it is easy to read and the author assumes that you know nothing about the subject and explains things very well. He doesn't only depend on the linguistics but also on the archeology and what is known of the history of Proto-Indo-European culture.
Another book that must be read to know about the Indo-Europeans!
The book is written from the point of view of an archeologist who has knowledge of historical linguistic methods. For dating the author uses dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating. He tells the story of how the Indo-Europeans where discovered, and then takes you on a journey to find out who are they in Asia, and who are they in Europe. The book also discusses an overview of Proto-Indo-European culture and an overview of Indo-European religion. Then the author gives you the theories of the Indo-European homeland and the problems associated with each theory and gives HIS most like homeland based on his thoughts and discussions.
What makes this book different is that it is easy to read and the author assumes that you know nothing about the subject and explains things very well. He doesn't only depend on the linguistics but also on the archeology and what is known of the history of Proto-Indo-European culture.
Another book that must be read to know about the Indo-Europeans!
the_slackening's review against another edition
4.0
Very witty and interesting read, if dry at times. It is entertaining to read Mallory address the vast array of opinions in the field of linguistics, and he clearly emphasizes that no two linguists can agree on anything. Even his own final theory is not complete; he admits that it is not completely supported, but says that a theory left open to proving later is better than a theory that is impossible given current evidence. Overall, I thought the exploration of languages and their underlying similarities was very cool, but the delving into archaeological evidence was dense and it lost me.
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