Early Indians

Who are we Indians, really? Where did we come from? Many of us believe that our ancestors have lived in South Asia since “time immemorial.” However, that “immemorial past” may not be as ancient as we think. In tracing the history of our ancestors, journalist Tony Joseph takes us back 65,000 years—to when a group of modern humans, or Homo sapiens, first migrated out of Africa and made their way to the Indian subcontinent. Drawing on recent DNA evidence, he investigates major migrations into India, from the Iranian agricultural communities that arrived between 7000 and 3000 BCE to the Central Asian pastoral nomadic groups who came between 2000 and 1000 BCE. Using genetics, archaeology, and linguistics, Joseph confronts several contentious and uncomfortable questions head-on: Who were the people of Harappa? Did the “Aryans” really migrate into India? Are North and South Indians genetically distinct? And are tribal communities genetically different from the rest of India’s population? Early Indians is a groundbreaking work that combines cutting-edge DNA research with archaeological and linguistic evidence, presented in a compelling and accessible narrative. It is an essential book that courageously and intelligently addresses the heated debates surrounding the ancestry of modern Indians.