Who developed the Kurgan hypothesis about the Proto-Indo-European language?

• A. Marija Gimbutas
• B. Vladimir Koppen
• C. Carl Sauer
• D. Carl Renfrew

Answer: (A)

Diffusion of Indo-European languages is explained by migrations from the Pontic-Caspian steppe, a model often called the Kurgan hypothesis. Marija Gimbutas developed this view, arguing that Proto-Indo-European originated in the steppe region north of the Black Sea and spread into Europe and Asia through migrating communities associated with kurgan burial mounds, horse domestication, and other technological changes. The spread happened over several millennia, shaping linguistic and cultural patterns as these populations moved.

For context, Vladimir Koppen is known for climate classification, not language origins. Carl Sauer is associated with cultural landscapes in geography. Colin Renfrew proposed an Anatolian hypothesis, which places Indo-European origins in Anatolia and emphasizes agricultural diffusion rather than steppe migrations. The Kurgan hypothesis remains the best-known linkage of language diffusion to migrating pastoralist groups from the steppe, which is why Marija Gimbutas is the correct attribution.