Proto-Indo-Iranians
Archaeological cultures associated with Indo-Iranian
migrations (after EIEC). The Andronovo, BMAC and Yaz cultures have often been associated with it.
The GGC (Swat), Cemetery H, Copper Hoard and PGW cultures are candidates for the same associations.
The Proto-Indo-Iranians are commonly identified with the Sintashta culture and the
subsequent Andronovo culture within the broader Andronovo horizon, and their homeland with an area
of the Eurasian steppe that borders the Ural River on the west and the Tian Shan on the east.
The Indo-Iranian migrations took place in two waves.[35][36] The first wave consisted of the Indo-Iranian
migration through the Bactria-Margiana Culture, also called "Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex,"
into the Levant, founding the Mittani kingdom; and a migration south-eastward of the Vedic people,
over the Hindu Kush into northern India.[37] The Indo-Iranians split off around 1800–1600 BC from the
Iranians,[38] whereafter they were defeated and split into two groups by the Iranians,[39] who dominated
the Central Eurasian steppe zone[40] and "chased [the Indo-Iranians] to the extremities of Central
Eurasia."[40] One group were the Indo-Iranians who founded the Mitanni kingdom in northern
Syria;[41] (c. 1500 – c. 1300 BC) the other group were the Vedic people.[42] Christopher I.
Beckwith suggests that the Wusun, an Indo-European Caucasian people of Inner Asia in antiquity, were
also of Indo-Iranians origin.[43]
The second wave is interpreted as the Iranian wave,[44] and took place in the third stage of the Indo-
European migrations[37] from 800 BC onwards.
Sintashta–Petrovka culture
Main article: Sintashta culture
According to Allentoft (2015), the Sintashta culture
probably derived from the Corded Ware culture.