Mongolian Steppes Horses, Credit

As I tidy up my research while editing my new novel, I went back to the Hittites whose presumed roots date back to the end of the 3rd millennium BC, with the emphasis on the word “presumed.” You can read the latest Wikipedia version (29 Oct 2018 linked above) and see for yourself whether you see any conclusive evidence of the ancestry of the Hittites—other than that they spoke the earliest attested version of the Proto-Indo-European language (1 Nov 2018). Incidentally, those two preceding Wiki edits are magnificent examples of the use of links in  text. If you read them and don’t pass over any link, you will get a thorough update on the topics.

The following Oriental Institute lecture “Tracking the Frontiers of the Hittite Empire” (2010) is a thorough examination of an ongoing avenue of research on the Hittites. I suggest you advance the time bar on the video to move ahead to the next visual exhibit, whereas I listened to every bit of it because I’m refreshing (not just updating) my research. However, without listening to all Dr. Ann Gunter has to say on this subject (I did) you will miss the thrust of the research and focus on eye-candy.

Since I once was an avid rider, and am obsessed with the domestication of the horse, I returned to my favorite subject of Botai, Kazakhstan with a favorite video for, yes, the eye candy. This subject is central to my research, and what I consider the most important archaeological breakthrough of the 21st century. Why? Because pushing the beginning of man’s partnership with the horse back a couple thousand years confirms my long-held belief. Consider what that partnership has produced!

Lastly, since I will always love horses, the following video about actress Julia Roberts’s in-depth visit to the Mongolian Steppes gave me insight into the last steppes horsemen in the Eurasian Steppes, Genghis Khan’s raw material, the last surviving horses from a truly ancient stock, and the spirit of the last steppes culture. The five-part video will hopefully transition from the 1st through the 5th installment, but if it doesn’t, you can click the next from the following series: one, two, three, four, five.

Thanks for visiting,

R. E. J. Burke