The bronze age and the Celtic world - Universal History Library

THE ARYAN CRADLE 133
philologists, from the evidence of language alone, were prepared to give full and most
detailed explanations.
Thus arose the Aryan hypothesis, forced upon an eagerly inquiring public wdth
great enthusiasm and complete, or almost complete, agreement. But during the
eighties rifts appeared to disturb this harmony, anthropology and archaeology began
to claim a hearing, and to disagree with the conclusions of philology. By 1890 the
philological enthusiasm died out, at least in this country and in France, though for
a time it Hngered on in Germany. AU those acquainted with the subject felt that the
question needed reconsideration, partly in the light of more accurate philological study,
and especially having regard to the newer evidence being produced in such quantities
by the sciences of anthropology and prehistoric archaeology. The general pubhc,
however, continued to talk and to write, with more confidence than before, of Teutons,
Celts, Slavs and the Latin races.
A word as to the term Aryan. When it was found that Sanskrit was alUed to
most of the European languages, it was felt that a term was needed to describe the
group. Bopp, thinking that the German or Teutonic group was the most westerly,
as the Indian dialects were the most easterly, used the term Indo-Germanic, which had
previously been suggested by Klaproth in 1823.' But when it was fully reahsed that the
Celtic tongues were also included in the group, French and Itahan scholars, who felt that
the term German was receiving too much prominence, suggested the name
Indo-European. Neither of these terms is quite accurate and both are clumsy, so to
avoid the latter defect Professor Max-Miiller suggested the term Aryan. This, too,
is misleading, for the Aryas were the noble caste among the Vedic Indians and the
early Persians. The name, however, is convenient, and is still used by many people,
especially in this country. Recently Dr. Giles* has suggested for the original people
who spoke these tongues the name of Wiros, as words similar to this, meaning men,
occur in most of these languages. The term has much to recommend it, and it will be
used in the following pages for the first users of this speech.
When the connection between these languages was first realised, it was felt that
all the tongues had been derived from a primitive mother speech, and that this primitive
3 Klaproth (1823). 4 Giles (1910-11) ; 1922,66.
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