History Trivia Thread Reducks

[merithyn]

Stopped up chimney. CO2 was the culprit.

And I was pretty sure that no one was ever charged because it was never really determined that he'd been murdered.

[merithyn]

I'm fairly sure I'm right (unless I'm getting him mixed up with Flaubert; both died relatively young), so I'll just go with that and ask my question.

Where does the name of The Corded Ware Culture come from, and what does it represent?

[Razgovory]

I'm fairly sure I'm right (unless I'm getting him mixed up with Flaubert; both died relatively young), so I'll just go with that and ask my question.

Where does the name of The Corded Ware Culture come from, and what does it represent?

Isn't it a neolithic culture hanging around central Europe.  I think the name refers to their pottery.  Possibly Pre-Indo-Europeans.

[Queequeg]

I'm fairly sure I'm right (unless I'm getting him mixed up with Flaubert; both died relatively young), so I'll just go with that and ask my question.

Where does the name of The Corded Ware Culture come from, and what does it represent?

If we go by the Kurgan hypothesis of the Indo-European expansion, the Corded Ware represent the early western branching off of the Indo-European peoples from the Caspian Steppe into Eastern, Central and eventually Western Europe, with the Yamna culture representing late Proto-Indo-Europeans or early Indo-Iranians who stayed in the Urheimat.  So they would probably be the Germans, Proto-Celts-Latins, maybe the Balto-Slavs as well, maybe Albanian.  I think it is generally accepted that Greek, Armenian maybe some other Paleo-Balkan languages wouldn't be in that group and were later additions, as they are very closely related to the Indo-Iranians.  They share almost the entire Chariot-related vocabulary and have pretty similar words/concepts as far as their religion goes (both have words for "prepare for horse-sacrifice"), and linguistically are pretty close.

[Queequeg]

It is a really fascinating period of history, helps to explain why almost every culture of Eurasia of the period was doing almost exactly the same thing, or why the Celts, Slavs, Armenians and Mongols have such closely related artistic styles.  The Horse, The Wheel and Language is a fascinating read.

[ulmont]

If we go by the Kurgan hypothesis

That there can be only one?   

[Queequeg]

If we go by the Kurgan hypothesis

That there can be only one?   

The Anatolian and Armenian hypothesis are also thrown around, but don't make a whole lot of sense as Anatolian peninsula had some really weird native languages possibly related to modern Caucasian languages when the Hittites came in there, while the Kurgan hypothesis has the Indo-Europeans sharing a border with the Uralic (and, a ways away, the Altaic) peoples for most of their early history, which I think is reflected in the relative closeness of the Uralic and Indo-European families and in certain elements of their ancient vocabulary (for instance, the Uralic term for Slave is derived from the word Aryan).

[Queequeg]

Something very, very similar happened with the Comanche, for instance.  They started off as an obscure people in California related to the Aztecs somehow, they adopted the horse before everyone else, and before you know it they are raiding as far as Central Mexico and Austin, Texas.  In this model, the Indo-Europeans were originally closely related to the Uralic (and, if you go back far enough, maybe the Altaic) peoples, but they started migrating South, came into contact with Caucasian and Semitic peoples who influenced their language, adopted the chariot and domesticated the horse before everyone else, and before you know it they are in Ireland and Central China.  With the horse, the Steppe is basically a big ocean that doesn't need pricey ocean going vessels, and it tens to also breed fantastically hearty, well organized warriors with access to way more horses than settled peoples, and rewards extremely cutthroat cultures that have to learn to adopt every strength and assimilate every conquered people.

[The Minsky Moment]

horribly overrated movie Boondock Saints

It's hard for a movie to be overrated when the studio that produced it didn't think it worth releasing.

[ulmont]

If we go by the Kurgan hypothesis

That there can be only one?   

The Anatolian and Armenian hypothesis are also thrown around, but don't make a whole lot of sense

You fail:  teh Joke.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurgan_%28Highlander%29

[Queequeg]

If we go by the Kurgan hypothesis

That there can be only one?   

The Anatolian and Armenian hypothesis are also thrown around, but don't make a whole lot of sense

You fail:  teh Joke.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurgan_%28Highlander%29

He's from the Pontic-Caspian steppe, he probably got his name from the Hypothesis, or where the hypothesis' name comes from, the Indo-European/Hunnish burial mounds of the area that are fairly typical across all the Kurganized (Indo-Europeanized) cultures of Eurasia, and those where were effected by them.

[merithyn]

Raz got it, though Queeqeg  gets serious points for thoroughness.

[PDH]

Spellus dissed the Bell-Beaker People by ignoring them, so he sucks.

[Queequeg]

Raz got it, though Queeqeg  gets serious points for thoroughness.

How did he get it?  He said where they were, not where they come from, got their ethnicity wrong (said they were pre-Indo European), and said they were Neolithic when they were mostly in the Copper and Bronze age. 

[merithyn]

Raz got it, though Queeqeg  gets serious points for thoroughness.

How did he get it?  He said where they were, not where they come from, got their ethnicity wrong (said they were pre-Indo European), and said they were Neolithic when they were mostly in the Copper and Bronze age.

He got the pottery thing.

But you're right on the rest. Consider yourself the next question asker.