Audio reading of this section (English)
In Nouiogalaticos, they are called the Cauologioi for what we call the Caulogâ (“pit grave” – in academia – Yamnaya, meaning the same) culture. A brief article on them can be found here. With them came domesticated horses, wheeled vehicles (chariots, wagons), metallurgy (copper), and are thought to have brought Proto-Indo-European language to Europe. The concept of roving warbands of young fighters looking for new lands are thought to come from them as well.
Extent of the Cauologâ (Yamnaya) Culture. Mostly from the steppes of what are now Russia and Ukraine. [Wikimedia Commons]
They were generally pastoralists, meaning that their food supply was reliant on livestock and managing herds of animals. In this case most likely cattle and sheep. As they moved west into Europe, they mixed with farmers and hunter gatherers that were already there. Which then developed a new culture…
More reading on the Cauologâ (Yamnaya) culture:
- The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World, by David W. Anthony
- Thousands of horsemen may have swept into Bronze Age Europe, transforming the local population, by Ann Gibbons
Bessus Nouiogalation 