Kyle Harrison
to-read
The Horse, the Wheel, and Language
The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World
- Author
- David W. Anthony
- Published
- 2007
- Pages
- 568
- Recommended
- Once
Anthony combines archaeology and historical linguistics to locate the Proto-Indo-European homeland on the Pontic-Caspian steppe, and to date horse domestication and the wheel.
Why it’s on the list: Named in the “best history book” thread. The standard modern treatment of where half the world’s languages came from, and an unusually clear demonstration of how two disciplines can check each other.
Where I saw it: In Kyle’s “Books To Read” Apple Note, recovered from the reply thread to @typesfast asking “What’s the best history book you’ve read?” (June 5, 2025). The full recovered list lives on What’s the best history book… (tweet).
Connections
- What’s the best history book… (tweet) — the thread this came out of; the full recovered list lives there.