The Birth of Indo-European
The Ancients24 Apr 2025

The Birth of Indo-European

From the steppes of prehistoric Eurasia to the languages we speak today, the story of Indo-European is one of ancient roots and global impact. But what exactly is Indo-European? Who spoke it? And how did a single language family come to dominate nearly half the world?


In this episode, Tristan Hughes is joined by Laura Spinney to uncover the origins of Proto-Indo-European. From Sanskrit to Latin, mythological echoes to linguistic detective work, discover how archaeology, genetics and early literature help trace this lost language and the diverse prehistoric peoples who once spoke it.


Presented by Tristan Hughes. The producer is Joseph Knight, audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.


All music from Epidemic Sounds


Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.


You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(661)

The Gospels: Are They Historical?

The Gospels: Are They Historical?

How much can we really know about the historical Jesus? The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have shaped Christianity for nearly 2,000 years, but they were written decades after the events they...

27 Sep 1h 3min

Maya Hieroglyphs Decoded

Maya Hieroglyphs Decoded

Forget everything you thought you knew about the ancient Maya. Cracking their mysterious hieroglyphs didn't just reveal boring calendars, it exposed a cutthroat, Game of Thrones-style world of rival s...

24 Sep 48min

Human Sacrifice in Ancient Britain

Human Sacrifice in Ancient Britain

WARNING: This episode contains descriptions of graphic violence from the start.When we picture human sacrifice in ancient Britain, the iconic, flaming Wicker Man often comes to mind. But how much of t...

20 Sep 1h 1min

Ice Age America: The Clovis Culture

Ice Age America: The Clovis Culture

Before the mammoths disappeared, people hunted them across Ice Age America. Armed with distinctive stone spear points, the mysterious Clovis culture left behind traces of a world filled with giant bea...

17 Sep 57min

The First Punic War

The First Punic War

How did the Romans ambush a massive Carthaginian fleet from behind a Sicilian island to win one of history's fiercest sea battles? For over 20 years, Rome and Carthage fought a brutal war for supremac...

13 Sep 1h 1min

Iron Age Ireland

Iron Age Ireland

How much of Iron Age Ireland is myth, and how much is archaeological reality? At the monumental Hill of Tara, sacred kings ruled over a landscape steeped in ancient ritual and ancestral memory.Tristan...

10 Sep 52min

Human Origins: Did We Begin in Africa?

Human Origins: Did We Begin in Africa?

The story of human origins is often imagined as a simple journey from Africa, but is the truth actually much messier? Tristan Hughes and leading palaeoanthropologist Prof. Chris Stringer dismantle the...

6 Sep 58min

Egypt's Lost Cities

Egypt's Lost Cities

What happens when an entire city disappears? Beneath the sands and wetlands of Egypt lie the remains of forgotten cities that once stood at the heart of one of the ancient world’s greatest civilisatio...

3 Sep 59min

Populärt inom Historia

massmordarpodden
kod-katastrof
p3-historia
historiska-brott
sanna-berattelser
historiepodden-se
rss-massmordarpodden
motiv
rss-historien-om-2
olosta-mord
historianu-med-urban-lindstedt
konspirationsteorier
rss-brottsligt
krigshistoriepodden
oforskamt-att-anta-gratisfeeden
nu-blir-det-historia
rss-folkets-historia
harrisons-dramatiska-historia
palmemordet
militarhistoriepodden