Laura Spinney

We don't have any evidence throughout history of human beings trading in high value goods without a common language. We've never done that. The assumption is that they would have quickly developed a lingua franca, a language of trade, a common language, as also, of course, happened later around the Mediterranean.

We don't have any evidence throughout history of human beings trading in high value goods without a common language. We've never done that. The assumption is that they would have quickly developed a lingua franca, a language of trade, a common language, as also, of course, happened later around the Mediterranean.

And that's where the name lingua franca comes from because that was the eponymous lingua franca. But it probably happened much earlier around the Black Sea. And one idea is that the lingua franca was that ancestral and Indo-European language, that it's the one that gave rise to the whole family. But it's not an idea that's very popular amongst linguists because lingua francas tend to just

And that's where the name lingua franca comes from because that was the eponymous lingua franca. But it probably happened much earlier around the Black Sea. And one idea is that the lingua franca was that ancestral and Indo-European language, that it's the one that gave rise to the whole family. But it's not an idea that's very popular amongst linguists because lingua francas tend to just

And that's where the name lingua franca comes from because that was the eponymous lingua franca. But it probably happened much earlier around the Black Sea. And one idea is that the lingua franca was that ancestral and Indo-European language, that it's the one that gave rise to the whole family. But it's not an idea that's very popular amongst linguists because lingua francas tend to just

be reserved for the purpose that they were invented for. So they're just restricted to that trade function. And they live alongside the native languages of the people in the network. So it's not necessarily a recipe for world domination. It doesn't replace other languages. It's very much tied to the function for which it was developed.

be reserved for the purpose that they were invented for. So they're just restricted to that trade function. And they live alongside the native languages of the people in the network. So it's not necessarily a recipe for world domination. It doesn't replace other languages. It's very much tied to the function for which it was developed.

be reserved for the purpose that they were invented for. So they're just restricted to that trade function. And they live alongside the native languages of the people in the network. So it's not necessarily a recipe for world domination. It doesn't replace other languages. It's very much tied to the function for which it was developed.

So a kind of more popular idea, certainly amongst linguists, I would say, is that the original Indo-European language was probably spoken by one of the clients of Varna. in that network. There's another reason for thinking that, which is that the people of Varna were essentially farmers.

So a kind of more popular idea, certainly amongst linguists, I would say, is that the original Indo-European language was probably spoken by one of the clients of Varna. in that network. There's another reason for thinking that, which is that the people of Varna were essentially farmers.

So a kind of more popular idea, certainly amongst linguists, I would say, is that the original Indo-European language was probably spoken by one of the clients of Varna. in that network. There's another reason for thinking that, which is that the people of Varna were essentially farmers.

They were on the more temperate forest side of that non-steppe boundary, whereas Proto-Indo-European and its earlier incarnation were languages we think of herders. So more likely to come from a different biome, a different ecological environment. And so may have come from across the sea somewhere in the Caucasus region.

They were on the more temperate forest side of that non-steppe boundary, whereas Proto-Indo-European and its earlier incarnation were languages we think of herders. So more likely to come from a different biome, a different ecological environment. And so may have come from across the sea somewhere in the Caucasus region.

They were on the more temperate forest side of that non-steppe boundary, whereas Proto-Indo-European and its earlier incarnation were languages we think of herders. So more likely to come from a different biome, a different ecological environment. And so may have come from across the sea somewhere in the Caucasus region.

One of the ideas is that it came just from the north of the Caucasus in what's now southern Russia. But another is that it came from the Armenian highlands just to the south.

One of the ideas is that it came just from the north of the Caucasus in what's now southern Russia. But another is that it came from the Armenian highlands just to the south.

One of the ideas is that it came just from the north of the Caucasus in what's now southern Russia. But another is that it came from the Armenian highlands just to the south.

So the Yamnaya are this culture who arise on the steppes north of the Black Sea at about 3500 BCE, so 5500 years ago. Yamnaya is the name of a very specific archaeological culture. And in fact, it's a Russian word that refers to their burial rite. They had a very distinctive burial rite.

So the Yamnaya are this culture who arise on the steppes north of the Black Sea at about 3500 BCE, so 5500 years ago. Yamnaya is the name of a very specific archaeological culture. And in fact, it's a Russian word that refers to their burial rite. They had a very distinctive burial rite.

So the Yamnaya are this culture who arise on the steppes north of the Black Sea at about 3500 BCE, so 5500 years ago. Yamnaya is the name of a very specific archaeological culture. And in fact, it's a Russian word that refers to their burial rite. They had a very distinctive burial rite.