Historical Methodology and Expert Opinion in the Aryan Debate

Abstract

We show that Trautmann’s criteria to accept expert opinion are compatible with the guidelines for an ‘objective historian’ proposed by Schneider based on the ‘generally accepted standards of historical scholarship’ described by Evans. Taken together, they form a credible framework to assess evidences in the Aryan Debate. We show that Sanskrit scholars who support the Aryan Invasion/Migration Theory have implied transmission of cultural practices from 3rd millennium BC India to 2nd millennium BC Eurasia. This tilts the debate on common features found in Indo-European cultures in favour of transmission out of India. We propose the Sanskrit in Indus Civilization Theory (SICT) based on joint consensus between Sanskrit scholars and scientists that Vedic rituals date to 3rd millennium BC. All theories of the origins of the Indo-European language family must incorporate the main elements of SICT when discussing Indian evidences later than 3rd millennium BC. We discuss the methodological issues related to claims based on recent genetic studies. We show that SICT can accommodate the results of recent genetic studies.