Research on the origin of the Tocharian people

Author: Xu Wenkan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-08-01
Features: The discovery and study of Tocharian are significant events in the history of comparative Indo-European linguistics. Due to China's lack of academic tradition in studying ancient Indo-European languages, although the materials of Tocharian hold great importance for the study of Chinese ethnic history, Buddhist history, and Sino-Indian cultural exchange history, Chinese scholars were not equipped to enter this field for a considerable period of time. It was not until Mr. Ji Xianlin dedicated himself to this field during his studies in Germany in the 1930s and made decades of tireless efforts that this situation changed. Since the naming of Tocharian involves a series of historical, geographical, and ethnic issues, many Chinese historians have paid attention to this and achieved considerable results. However, no systematic research has been conducted domestically on the origin of the Tocharians, as well as the closely related questions of the origin and migration of the proto-Indo-Europeans. The author of this book has been concerned with the "Tocharian problem" for nearly 40 years, collecting a large amount of relevant materials. Especially since the 1980s, inspired by new archaeological discoveries in Xinjiang, he gradually realized that the ancient corpses and human bones unearthed in Xinjiang, which exhibit characteristics of the Caucasian race, represent the ancient inhabitants of that region and should have some connection with the Tocharians. Although the Tocharian documents discovered in recent times are relatively late in date, Tocharian itself is an ancient Indo-European language that separated from the Indo-European community quite early. Before the tribes speaking this language arrived in regions such as Xinjiang, it came into contact with various branches of Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages on the Eurasian continent. The "Yuezhi" recorded in ancient Chinese historical texts may also be related to the Tocharians. The prehistoric period of the Tocharians reached southern Siberia, with their material cultural remains identified as the Afanasyev culture. In later periods, their distribution became increasingly widespread, from the Yellow River Basin to Central and South Asia, leaving traces everywhere. The author believes that archaeology, linguistics, and folklore studies are now helping us build a more complete three-dimensional image of the past of humanity. Therefore, interdisciplinary research is necessary to finally uncover the mystery of the Tocharian problem, this age-old enigma. At the end of the book, there is a bibliography of related literature for reference. This book differs from other published works on the Tocharian problem in China in that it focuses on Tocharian, the Tocharians, and the origins and migrations of the Indo-Europeans. It also incorporates the latest achievements in archaeology, anthropology, molecular biology, and linguistics from the mid-1990s to the beginning of the 21st century, reflecting the characteristics of research and exploration at the forefront of academia.