Pontic Steppe

The Pontic Steppe hypothesis, primarily associated with archaeologist David Anthony, argues that Proto-Indo-European speakers originated in the Pontic-Caspian steppe around 4500–2500 BC. Archaeological evidence from the Yamnaya culture, including wheeled vehicles and horse domestication, supports the theory that these peoples spread Indo-European languages westward into Europe and eastward into Asia.

The Yamnaya were a Late Copper Age to Early Bronze Age pastoralist culture that occupied the Pontic Steppe from roughly 3300 to 2600 BC. Genetic studies have shown that Yamnaya-related ancestry spread dramatically across Europe during this period, consistent with the Indo-European migration model.

The Anatolian hypothesis, proposed by Colin Renfrew, argues that Proto-Indo-European originated in Neolithic Anatolia and spread with farming into Europe beginning around 7000–6000 BC. While still discussed, the Pontic Steppe hypothesis has gained broader support in recent decades due to ancient DNA evidence.

The Pontic Steppe extends across southern Ukraine, southern Russia, and parts of Moldova, stretching from the Danube River in the west to the Ural Mountains in the east. The grassland is bounded by the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south and transitions into forest-steppe to the north.