TRAMES 1, 5, 2001

REVIEW OF THE ORIGIN AND AREA OF SETTLEMENT OF THE FINNO-UGRIAN PEOPLES BY RICHARD INDREKO, HEIDELBERG, 1948

Angela Marcantonio

University of Rome "La Sapienza"

Abstract. In this paper, written in 1948, Richard Indreko reports archaeological evidence that is inconsistent with the received knowledge about the origin of the Finnic people. His paper is worth re-examination now because the linguistic community is beginning to re-consider its basic assumption that these people originated in the area of the Ural Mountains and slowly migrated westward to reach their present-day territories. Indreko's evidence clearly contradicts this. For example, according to Indreko, technology - arrowheads, ice picks and comb ceramic technology - originated in Europe and spread over the area, in a direction generally from the south-west to the north-east. He concludes that, "the origin of the Finno-Ugrians could have their roots in … the European Palaeolithicum" (1948:13).

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