On locating Proto-Uralic

Abstract

In recent years the debate regarding the Proto-Uralic homeland has again intensified. However, not all the relevant arguments have been considered thoroughly. Therefore, in the present article their validity and weight are evaluated. The article also develops further concepts and methodology for reconstruction of stages of Uralic, making it possible to compare Uralic stages to the Indo-Iranian loanword layers with higher resolution than before. As a result, the paper locates Late Proto-Uralic and successive stages in the Central Ural Region, matching the Koptyaki Culture (dated to the early 2nd millennium BCE) and its local predecessor.