‘The Precursors of Proto-Indo-European’ was the name of a workshop held at the Leiden University Centre for Linguistics from 9–11 July 2015,1 during which some thirty papers were presented by specialists from all over the world, dealing with the reconstructible prehistory of Proto-Indo-European, with a focus on the Indo-Anatolian and the Indo-Uralic hypotheses. The workshop turned out to be an inspiring event, where scholars from different backgrounds exchanged ideas and arguments, and where new data, analyses and visions were presented. In the course of the workshop, and particularly during the closing session, it became clear that all participants, speakers as well as members of the audience, felt the need for a dedicated volume dealing with the Indo-Anatolian and Indo-Uralic hypotheses. Hence the idea was born to compile the work that now lies before you.
This book contains adapted versions of a selection of the papers presented at the Leiden workshop, but also several papers that were written especially for this volume. It aims to provide an up-to-date overview and discussion of the arguments for and against the Indo-Anatolian and the Indo-Uralic hypotheses and related issues. We expect it to serve as a reference tool and inspiration for new research into the prehistory of Proto-Indo-European.
The editors
Organized by Alwin Kloekhorst in the context of his research project ‘Splitting the Mother Tongue: The Position of Anatolian in the Dispersal of the Indo-European Language Family’ (NWO project nr. 276-70-026).