Asterisk in Bhropyasthn Minor Writings on the Aryan Invasion Debate This unassuming little book is dedicated to two promising little fellows, my godsons Koenraad and Meinhard. May they grow up to be true Arya-s, which according to different schools of etymological thought could mean: (1) people of culture, not least of Vedic culture; (2) orderly people, well-formed, dutiful and harmoniously fitting in with the wider world; (3) hospitable people, kind to strangers. In one word, gentlemen.

Foreword Unlike many other books on the Aryan invasion debate, the present collection of papers does not promise to terminate the debate with a final judgment. It merely puts on record a number of arguments I developed in recent years, mostly in an actual debating context. None of it is very eccentric, in fact it all remains safely close to the mainstream save for a few details.

Unlike many Indian participants, I completely accept the notion of a Proto-Indo-European language from which all the extant member languages of the Indo-European (Bhropya) family have evolved. I also accept the principle of reconstruction of hypothetical ancient and unattested forms (marked with asterisk) from newer attested ones. I even go along with the classical view, contested by some postmodernists, that for a language to exist, it must be spoken by an actual community of people, and that this community must have lived somewhere. So yes, there was a Proto-Indo-European speech community (no, I didnt say Aryan race), and there was a homeland where that community flourished. There is no need to challenge these basic assumptions even if one insists on challenging the specific details about the whereabouts of this somewhere.

While we dont want to prejudge its location, we may provisionally name it Bhropyasthn, Indo-European-Land. That is merely the X, the unknown that we seek to turn into a known. I must warn the impatient reader that at the end of this book, he will still not know the location of Bhropyasthn for sure. The Urheimat where the adventures of Asterisk took place, is still incognita. But along with the reader, I do hope nonetheless that some false trails will have been closed off, so that we can focus better on more promising options.

In the last two decades, our knowledge on Indo-European and ancient Indo-Iranian history has substantially increased. The complete story still eludes us, but I trust we are advancing nicely. And by we, I mean all those open-minded enough to learn, whether in the Indocentric or the Eurocentric camp. This collection is intended as a little contemplation of some achievements and obstacles along the way.

For the title, I must acknowledge some debt of inspiration to the Light from distant asterisks: towards a description of the Indo-European religious heritage (Numen, Leiden, January 2002), an enlightening paper on the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European pantheon by Peter Jackson. More immediately, I owe a debt of gratitude to Satinder Trehan, Gopi Maliwal, Arun Kothari, Ashok Chowgule and many others for their hospitality and practical support; and to my old friend and outstanding linguist Herman Seldeslachts. Naturally, all shortcomings of this book are not theirs but mine. Mortsel (Belgium), Armistice Day, 11 November 2006 Dr. Koenraad Elst

Foreword