Ajay Kumar at 18:23, 5 September 2023

2023-09-05T18:23:41Z

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{{Short description|2018 book by Tony Joseph}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox book
| name = Early Indians: The Story of Our Ancestors and Where We Came From
| image = Early Indians cover.png
| border = yes
| caption =
| author = [[Tony Joseph]]
| cover_artist =
| country = India
| language = English
| subject = Human population genetics
| genre = [[Popular science]]
| publisher = [[Juggernaut Books]]
| pub_date = 20 December 2018
| media_type = Print (hardcover)
| pages = 256
| isbn = 938622898X
}}

''''' Early Indians: The Story of Our Ancestors and Where We Came From''''' is a 2018 nonfiction book written by Indian journalist [[Tony Joseph]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/books/early-indians-tony-joseph-book-review-5575901/|title=A Question of Identity|date=9 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/the-first-indians/article25814358.ece|title=The first Indians|website=[[The Hindu]] |date=23 December 2018 |last1=Joseph |first1=Tony }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/theres-no-confusion-the-new-reports-clearly-confirm-arya-migration-into-india/article29409611.ece|title=New reports clearly confirm 'Arya' migration into India|website=[[The Hindu]] |date=13 September 2019 |last1=Joseph |first1=Tony }}</ref> that focuses on the ancestors of people living in [[South Asia]] today.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://scroll.in/article/906684/can-the-arrival-of-the-aryans-in-india-explain-the-disconnect-between-harappan-and-vedic-culture|title=Can the arrival of the Aryans in India explain the disconnect between Harappan and Vedic culture?|date=25 December 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thequint.com/videos/aryan-migration-early-indians-tony-joseph-interview|title=Where Do We Actually Come From? 'Early Indians' Author Explains|date=13 April 2019 }}</ref> Joseph goes 65,000 years into the past<ref>{{cite web|url=https://science.thewire.in/society/history/rss-chief-debunked-myths-dangerous-fantasy-pure-race/|title=RSS Chief Uses Debunked Myths to Hold Up Dangerous Fantasy of a 'Pure Race'|date=20 December 2021 }}</ref>—when [[Homo sapiens|anatomically modern humans]], [[Recent African origin of modern humans|first made their way from Africa]] into the [[Indian subcontinent]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/books/books-reviews/early-indians-review-who-we-are-and-where-do-we-come-from/article26035662.ece|title='Early Indians' review: Who we are and where do we come from|website=[[The Hindu]] |date=19 January 2019 |last1=Byravan |first1=Sujatha }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thequint.com/lifestyle/books/early-indians-tony-joseph-book-excerpt|title=Excerpt: These Rocks in MP Reveal Secrets to Our Origin as Indians|date=5 February 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/we-are-a-multisource-civilisation-not-unisource-tony-joseph/story-ePTNGBOF7SxDWajSXhbTBM.html|title='We are a multisource civilisation, not unisource': Tony Joseph|date=7 September 2019 }}</ref> The book relies on research findings from six major disciplines: history, [[archaeology]], [[linguistics]], [[population genetics]], [[philology]], and [[epigraphy]], and includes path-breaking [[ancient DNA]] research of recent years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.asianage.com/books/270219/early-indians-on-hindsight.html|title=Early Indians on hindsight|date=27 February 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://scroll.in/announcements/958451/video-the-story-of-our-ancestors-and-where-we-came-from-a-masterclass-with-author-tony-joseph|title=Video The story of our ancestors and where we came from: A masterclass with author Tony Joseph|date=7 April 2020 }}</ref> It also relies on the extensive study titled "The Genomic Formation of Central and South Asia", co-authored by 92 scientists from around the world and co-directed by geneticist [[David Reich (geneticist)|David Reich]] of [[Harvard Medical School]], in which ancient DNA was used.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2018/03/31/292581.full.pdf|title=1 The Genomic Formation of South and Central Asia}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thequint.com/voices/opinion/genomic-study-vedic-aryan-migration-dravidian-languages-sanskrit|title=How We, The Indians, Came to Be|date=April 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thequint.com/voices/opinion/aryan-migration-genetics-study-and-rss-golwalkar-ideology|title=How Science Has Destroyed the Foundation of RSS' Idea of India|date=14 May 2019 }}</ref> The book has been translated into [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Hindi]], [[Odia language|Odia]], [[Telugu language|Telugu]], [[Marathi language|Marathi]], [[Malayalam]], [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], and other languages.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://manjulindia.com/aarambhik-bharitya-hamare-purvaj-kaun-they-unka-aagman-kahan-se-hua-tha-hindi-edn-of-early-indians-the-story-of-our-ancestors-and-where-we-came-from.html|title=Hindi edition}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Marathi Edition|id={{ASIN|9390085055|country=in}} }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.in/Early-Indians-Tamil-Tony-Joseph-ebook/dp/B08BYVGR56/ref=sr_1_6?crid=P9RR5Y3N67C&dchild=1&keywords=early+indians+tony+joseph&qid=1593910079&s=books&sprefix=Early+Indians+%2Cstripbooks%2C429&sr=1-6|title=Tamil Kindle edition}}</ref>

==Description==
The book discusses four [[Prehistory|prehistoric]] migrations in India.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/4-prehistoric-migrations-shaped-indias-population-book/articleshow/67299719.cms|title=Four prehistoric migrations shaped India's population|newspaper=The Economic Times |date=29 December 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/lifestyle/books-and-art/150219/the-x-y-and-gene-of-pre-historic-india.html|title=The x, y and gene of pre-historic India}}</ref> It posits that the [[Indus Valley civilisation|Harappans]] were a mixture of [[Zagros Mountains|Zagros]] agriculturists (from the modern-day Iran area) and First Indians,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-46616574|title=How ancient DNA may rewrite prehistory in India|work=BBC News |date=30 December 2018 }}</ref> a wave of migrants who came from Africa into Arabia and then reached India around 65,000 years ago.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/culture/books/the-battle-over-the-early-indians/cid/1681099|title=The battle over the early Indians}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/18/science/ancient-farmers-archaeology-dna.html|title=How the First Farmers Changed History|work=The New York Times |date=17 October 2016 |last1=Zimmer |first1=Carl }}</ref> Citing recent DNA evidence, the book traces the subsequent large migrations of anatomically modern humans into India—of agriculturalists from Iran between 7000 and 3000 BCE and [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]]-speaking pastoralists from the [[Eurasian Steppe|Central Asian Steppe]] (Aryans) between 2000 and 1000 BCE,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-we-are-all-migrants-we-are-all-mixed-tony-joseph-author-of-early-indians-the-story-of-our-ancestors/338420|title=We Are All Migrants, We Are All Mixed: Tony Joseph, Author of 'Early Indians: The Story of Our Ancestors...'}}</ref> among others.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.openthemagazine.com/article/books/migrant-nation|title=Migrant Nation}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://caravanmagazine.in/history/horse-sense-harappa-tony-joseph-early-indians|title=Horse sense on Harappa: An excerpt from Tony Joseph's book "Early Indians"}}</ref> Joseph uses the layers of a pizza as a metaphor to explain the makeup of subcontinental society.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/society/we-are-like-pizza-early-indians-were-just-the-base-tony-joseph/article26089215.ece|title=We are like pizza. Early Indians were just the base: Tony Joseph|website=[[The Hindu]] |date=25 January 2019 }}</ref>

The book also discusses similarities and differences between the [[Indus Valley civilization]] and early [[Vedic civilization]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/how-genetics-is-settling-the-aryan-migration-debate/article19090301.ece|title=How genetics is settling the Aryan migration debate|website=The Hindu |date=16 June 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/too-early-to-settle-the-aryan-migration-debate/article19265947.ece/amp/|title=Too early to settle the Aryan migration debate?|website=The Hindu |date=12 July 2017 }}</ref> It mentions that "Aryan" culture was most likely the result of interaction, adoption, and adaptation among those who brought Indo-European languages to India and those who were already well-settled inhabitants of the region, and that [[Sanskrit]] and the [[Vedas]] developed in the [[Indian subcontinent]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.firstpost.com/india/examining-the-evidence-for-aryan-migrations-into-india-the-story-of-our-ancestors-and-where-we-came-from-5797501.html|title=Examining the evidence for 'Aryan' migrations into India: The story of our ancestors and where we came from|date=28 December 2018 }}</ref> According to Joseph, [[Proto-Dravidian]] is related to the [[Elamitic language]] of Iran.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/who-built-the-indus-valley-civilisation/article22261315.ece|title=Who built the Indus Valley civilisation?|website=The Hindu |date=22 December 2017 }}</ref> The [[caste system in India]] is a recent social system, reflected in sharply reduced [[Endogamy|inter-marriage]] and genetic mixing after 100 AD. The book also takes into account the path-breaking DNA research and findings by geneticist [[David Reich (geneticist)|David Reich]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://scroll.in/article/896642/from-the-aryan-migration-to-caste-two-books-offer-fascinating-insights-into-indias-ancient-past|title=From the Aryan migration to caste, two books offer fascinating insights into India's ancient past|date=30 December 2018 }}</ref>

==Reception==
''Early Indians'' was well received by readers and many critics.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://asianreviewofbooks.com/content/early-indians-the-story-of-our-ancestors-and-where-we-came-from-by-tony-joseph/|title="Early Indians: The Story of Our Ancestors and Where We Came From" by Tony Joseph|date=10 January 2019 }}</ref> Sujatha Byravan wrote in ''[[The Hindu]]'' that the book tells a compelling story of our forefathers based on genetic evidence.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/books/books-reviews/early-indians-review-who-we-are-and-where-do-we-come-from/article26035662.ece|title='Early Indians' review: Who we are and where do we come from|website=The Hindu |date=19 January 2019 |last1=Byravan |first1=Sujatha }}</ref> Bangladeshi-American writer [[Razib Khan]] opined that the book presents a clear understanding of early Indians.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/leisure/story/20190107-early-indians-tony-joseph-review-1419016-2018-12-28|title=Review: The Indians Before India}}</ref> [[Swaminathan Aiyar]] of ''[[The Times of India]]'' thought that the book helps us understand how all Indians have African, Harappan, and Steppe Asian genes in different doses.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/blogs/Swaminomics/so-much-for-hindu-rashtra/|title=So much for Hindu Rashtra|newspaper=The Economic Times |last1=Aiyar |first1=S. A. }}</ref> Author [[Gurcharan Das]] said that the book helps us understand that Indians are composed of a large number of small populations.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/men-and-ideas/who-are-we-indians-genetics-is-bringing-bad-news-for-the-politics-of-identity-we-are-all-migrants/|title=Who are we Indians? Genetics is bringing bad news for the politics of identity: We are all migrants|website=[[The Times of India]] |last1=Das |first1=Gurcharan }}</ref> [[Kesavan Veluthat]] of ''The Hindu'' stated that the book shows a firm basis on which the study of Indian history can begin. This is of especial importance in the context of the [[post-truth politics|post-truth conditions]] of the present, when myth-making seeks to replace authentic knowledge.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/books/article28466555.ece|title=Of India's genetic roots|date=17 July 2019 }}</ref> In June 2019, Indian geneticists from the [[Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology]] reviewed ''Early Indians'' in the journal ''[[Current Science]]'' and praised Joseph for synthesizing the chronology of the movement of modern humans into the Indian subcontinent from the first "out-of-Africa" humans to recent migrants, citing new findings from the fields of archaeology, anthropology, linguistics, and genetics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/116/11/1922.pdf?fbclid=IwAR25yVMJ3sCL87LyzqtsdiVlL0hrO0a6_N0G1mHsA7Oye5f2Hn_WreMQwj0|title=Book Review Current Science Early Indians}}</ref> [[Nobel Prize]]-winning [[structural biologist]] [[Venki Ramakrishnan]] described the book as a "very readable account".{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

==Awards==
* Best Non-fiction Books of the Decade (2010–2019) – ''[[The Hindu]]''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/books/best-non-fiction-books-of-the-decade/article30413098.ece|title=Best non-fiction books of the decade|website=The Hindu |date=28 December 2019 }}</ref>
* Book of the Year Award (non-fiction), Tata Literature Live, 2019 – ''The Wire''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thewire.in/books/writer-shanta-gokhale-honoured-with-lifetime-achievement-award-at-tata-literature-live|title=Writer Shanta Gokhale Honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award at Tata Literature Live}}</ref>
* [[Shakti Bhatt Prize|Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize]] 2019 – ''[[The Indian Express]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/books/tony-josephs-early-indians-wins-shakti-bhatt-first-book-prize-2019-6146426/|title=Tony Joseph's Early Indians wins Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize 2019|date=2 December 2019 }}</ref>
* Atta Galatta Award for Best Non-Fiction, 2019 – ''[[Deccan Herald]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/city/focus-bengaluru/four-authors-get-atta-galatta-blf-awards-775168.html|title=Four authors get Atta Galatta-BLF awards|date=10 November 2019 }}</ref>
* One of the 10 Best New Prehistory Books to Read in 2020, as identified by bookauthority<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bookauthority.org/books/new-prehistory-books?t=d70dwx&s=author&book=938622898X|title=10 Best New Prehistory Books to Read in 2020}}</ref>

==See also==
* ''[[The Horse, the Wheel, and Language]]'' – 2007 book by anthropologist [[David W. Anthony]]
* [[Proto-Indo-European language]]
* [[Peopling of India]]
* [[Haplogroup R1a]]
* [[Shahr-e Sukhteh]]
* ''[[Who We Are and How We Got Here]]'' – 2018 book by [[David Reich (geneticist)|David Reich]]
* [[Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex]]
* [[Recent African origin of modern humans]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Human evolution books]]
[[Category:Last common ancestors]]
[[Category:2018 non-fiction books]]
[[Category:Genetics books]]
[[Category:Human population genetics]]
[[Category:Juggernaut Books books]]

Early Indians - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 18:23, 5 September 2023