ABSTRACT
We must not be prejudiced or confused by the labels given to these branches on the basis of the distribution of their later historical representatives; to avoid the anachronism inherent in the traditional terms, I propose to call the two early branches West and East Aryan respectively. The 'Iranian' loanwords in Finno-Ugric languages, the connections between Proto-Slavic and 'ProtoIranian', and the Greek testimonies concerning the Scythians all suggest that the western branch (Abashevo, Timber Grave, etc.), which stayed in the Pontic-Caspian area, represents 'Proto-Iranian' speakers. The eastern branch, Andronovo, which by 1750 BC or even earlier had expanded as far as southern Turkmenistan, northern Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, southern Siberia and Xinjiang (Kuz'mina 1985, 1994a, 1994b; Chernykh 1992: 210ff.; and pp. 194-6 below), is likely to represent 'Proto-Indo-Aryan'. As we shall see, this East Aryan branch was also the first to reach Syria and India.
